Secrets & Lies
by JasperCanBiteMeAnyday
Summary: Alec Volturi fell for a human,but left her for her own good.Years later,the Volturi has relocated&he is in highschool again.There he meets pretty,popular Eva,who's identical to his lost love.Eva is set on unveiling all his secrets&lies,no matter the cost
1. Chapter 1

YEAR : 1892

Elizabeth stares up at me from under her long lashes, those big, lovely dark blue eyes filled with unbearable sadness and fear. Guilt and pain is surging through me. I have to do this, I keep telling myself. There is no other way.

"Its time for us to go our seperate ways." I finally deliver the line I have been dreading.

"What do you mean?" She squeaks, a bead of sweat breaking out on her pale forehead.

"I mean its become clear to me that this is ridiculous. I will always be immortal, there is nothing you can do about that. I'm not one of your patients that you can fix up. I'm tired of playing house. I can't marry you because I could never be a fit husband, I could never be a father. The game is over."

"Game? This has been a game? I.. I thought you were going to.." She trails off, looking confused and hurt.

"Going to what? Change you? Turn you into a blood-thirsty monster? No chance. You deserve someone who you can actually have a future with. And that isn't me. I'll always love you, but love just isn't enough this time. Goodbye, Bethie. I'll never forget you." I brush my lips against her cheek, running my hands through her golden locks once more and sneakily slipping the gold engagement ring I gave her but the other day from her finger and into my pocket.

"I love you, Alec." She whispers and I can hear the tears in her voice. Those were the last words I ever heard Elizabeth Johnson say. I was off like a rocket, plowing through the mud and trees, running away from the hurt of the world.

I assured myself that I had done the right thing. Master Aro had given me a deadline and if I hadn't broken things up with her peacefully then he would have silenced her forever. I saved Elizabeth's life, even if I might have ruined mine.


	2. Chapter 2

EVALYN POV

I sit talking with my best friends, Whitney, Caroline, and Natalie, at lunch as my long-time on-and-off boyfriend, Hutch, steadily moves his hand up my thigh. Once he gets to a place that is off-limits, I whack him away without faltering in my conversation or allowing my smile to slip. I sneak a warning glance at Hutch who just smiles cutely and flips his long, golden-brown hair.

"Eva, have you seen the new kids?" Caroline asks, putting her hand on my shoulder, her puppy-dog like eyes staring up into mine. Caroline is really pretty with her silky, dead-straight dirty-blone hair, sun-kissed skin (which is every girl's envy here that she got because she grew up in Oklahoma and goes back there every summer), and deep, innocent brown eyes. But she has broken her nose three times while we stunted in cheerleading, leaving it twisted at an odd angle. And she still has braces since she just got them last year, at the end of 8th grade.

"New kids? No, but who cares?" I ask in confusion. We go to a big school in Chicago, new kids aren't very uncommon. And since I guess you could call us the "popular crowd" we aren't much concerned with any newcomers.

"These aren't just any new kids. There is something different about them, something really weird. I heard they are Russian spies sent here to monitor , you know that loony history teacher? Ooh, there they are!" Whitney, twirling a piece of her pale-blonde hair on her finger anxiously, points out the people walking through the door. Natalie, my pudgiest friend though she has tried every diet known to man and the only brunette at this table though she is the one with the most "blonde moments" straightens up in excitement.

"Those two are Felix and Heidi, they are like dating or something, and they are seniors." Whitney whispers as a big, muscled guy with short spiky black hair and deathly pale skin walks in with a tall, statuesque brunette at his side. They are both utterly beautiful. Unnaturally so. Envy pulses through me. They also have an odd shade of bluish-purple eyes.

"That is Demetri, a sophomore, and his girlfriend, Corin, a junior. I hear he got her pregnant last year and she had an abortion that's why they had to move here." Whitney throws in her earlier theory aside and picks a new one she picked up on through the untrustworthy chain of gossipers that flood this school. In comes a tall, lean guy with long, brown hair hanging limply around his chin, his arm wrapped around an average-height girl with an amazing figure and short, wavy, sandy-blonde hair only a little longer than his. Deathly pale and freakishly beautiful with the same bluish-purple eyes as the ones before them.

"And that is Alec and Jane, twins. I know he is a freshman, and I think she is too." Whitney leans away. A heart-breakingly beautiful girl with shoulder-length dark brown hair and big, bluish-purple eyes walks in, holding hands with a boy my height with long, swoopy black hair that frames his beautiful face, and cunning bluey purplish eyes. It is hard to believe these creatures are from the same planet, much less the same grade.

"Maybe the circus is in town." Hutch grins. I giggle quietly myself. The dark-haired girl, Jane I think, throws a look at us from across the lunch room as if she heard us. As her gaze falls on me, her whole body freezes up. Her eyes widen in shock. She tugs on the dark-haired boy's hand, whispers something, and he turns to face me also. He ices over just as she had. Then he dashes out of the lunch room.

Everyone had been watching them, so everyone saw what had happened. Everyone looks at me curiously. My cheeks flush pink.

"What was that all about?" Whitney asks, wanting to no doubt spread a new rumor around the school, her specialty.

"No idea.. Are you guys all going to homecoming next Friday?" I ask, changing the subject though I know the answer. Everyone is going. Whitney, Natalie, Caroline and I were suppose to go dress shopping together last week but I've been prolonging it because Hutch still hasn't formally asked me. He might be my boyfriend, but I still expect something romantic.

They all begin up in an excited round of chatter about next Friday's festivities. My thoughts become consumed with those oddly beautiful twins that had looked at me so weirdly. It was like they had known me before, but surly if I had ever met anyone like them I would remember.


	3. Chapter 3

Esmerelda pounds on the bathroom door, wanting in. I ignore her. Esmerelda is my younger sister, and quite honestly a bit of an embarrassment, though I would never tell her that. She is only in 6th grade, but she weighs 130 pounds. If she lost some weight, she would be gorgeous and look a lot like me probably. I'm glad she got stuck with the stupid, hideous name though.

"You have to come out! Mom said so!" She cries, but I know she is lying. Mom isn't even at home, and no way she would answer if Esmerelda called her. She is organizing some banquet or something, increasing her social status as if she is still in high-school.

"Leave me alone, Es. Mom isn't home." I apply a line of eyeliner.

"Dad said so!" She tries. No chance. I heard Dad leave for work 15 minutes ago. He works as a radiation oncologist, he is the one the brings in all the money for this huge house we live in.

"There are five other bathrooms, Es. Including one in your own room. Why are you bothering me?" I growl, sweeping my blonde curls up into a ponytail.

"Because I left my eyeshadow and lucky bracelet in there and today is soccer tryouts!" She cries. Esmerelda does soccer, much to Mom's horror. She wishes Es would do cheer like I have since 2nd grade, and what Mom got a scholarship for when she was younger. She went on to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, which is how she met my father.

Honestly, I hope I don't meet the man of my dreams at a football game while he is drunk and trying to grab my ass. Hutch is the guy of my dreams, but things have been a little rocky lately, so maybe everyone has more than one guy of their dreams.

The morning drug by slowly. I was anxious to see the new kids today, the Volturi's. Especially Alec and Jane. Whitney, who always has all the latest gossip, says they ditched right after lunch. Could that really be my fault? I don't even know them for crying out loud!

At lunch, they all entered fashionably late once again, gaining everyone's attention, and I began wondering if I should start doing that. The twins were there, though they made a point to look everywhere but me.

"Damn, Eva, its like you killed their dog or something." Hutch, testing the boundaries on my leg again, chuckles from beside me.

"I don't know what I did wrong." I murmur, not taking my eyes off the strange boy with that glossy black hair, giving off a rainbow-sheen when the florescent lights hit it just right. For some reason, it is almost as if I have seen him before. Not actually met him, just seen him.

"You didn't do anything wrong. They are freaks." Hutch says as if that explains it all. I sigh and stand up, wordlessly going and dumping my untouched food away and fleeing the crowded cafeteria.

I go to my next hour, art, favorite class of the day, and doodle in my spiral while sitting in the teacher's chair until the room begins filling up. I then realize my doodle had turned into a pair of gleaming eyes that remind me eerily of Alec's, the one who fled the lunch room yesterday. I slam my spiral shut with a shudder.

I take my seat in front of my usual easel, last row second chair. Nobody sits next to me since Reese moved last week.

"Hello class!" Mrs. Mott, the quirky art teacher, smiles from the front of the class. Before she can explain what we are doing today, the door opens and in walks a tall pale figure with long, black hair.

"Sorry I'm late," He hands her a slip to sign.

"No problem. Welcome! My name is Mrs. Mott. You can take a seat in the back, next to Eva. Eva, raise your hand!" Mrs. Mott says cheerfully. Alec's eyes search for a moment before landing on me, and he visibly stiffens as I raise one shaky hand. He walks to the back and takes the seat next to me.

Mrs. Mott tells us that today is a free form day, which most days are, and takes a seat. Everyone begins talking as brushes fly across easels.

"Hi, I'm Eva McQuaid." I keep my voice low, not letting on to anyone that I am talking to the weird new kid.

"Alec Volturi." He stays stiffly. His voice is very musical, almost hypnotic.

"You, um. You sort of ran out of the cafeteria yesterday.." I'm not quite sure how to phrase my question.

"You reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago. It was a bit...startling." He glares at his easel.

"Really? Because I sort of recognize you too.." I dig through my brain, trying to remember where I have seen this unearthly beautiful face.

"You do?" His voice is shocked.

"Yeah, maybe we met on vacation or something years ago. What are the odds?" I laugh to myself, trying to shake off the feeling that there is much more to this.


	4. Chapter 4

ALEC POV

I pace restlessly across my room, my thoughts racing. Who is Eva McQuaid? She looks EXACTLY like Elizabeth.. Except Eva's eyes aren't wide and an innocent ocean-blue like my dearly missed love's had been. Hers are slanted, cat-like and perceptive, an odd hazel that seems to have gold swirled in amongst green and brown. Eva is also much taller than Elizabeth with a curvier, somehow fiercer, figure.

But those differences are small, and had Eva been born in another time, they could have been twin sisters. The same cute button nose, the same blonde hair that looks as if it has been kissed by a ray of golden sun, the same plush pink lips, the same curly locks that roll down a few inches past their shoulders, the same fingernails chewed down to stubs.. Bottom line is, they share identical beauty. Or, in more modern terms, they are both "really hot." Like, make my mouth go dry, my heart feel like its beating a mile a minute, every muscle in my body tense up, my mind to go blank, my words to stumble over each other, and the air suddenly become thinner and harder to breath, hot. You don't come across that type of hottness very often..

"Stop it." Jane says as she comes into my room without knocking.

"Stop what?" I ask innocently.

"Thinking about that girl. So she looks sort of like Elizabeth? Whats the big deal?" Jane sits daintily on the edge of my bed.

"Sort of like Elizabeth? Jane, they are clones!" I exclaim. I hate it when she plays things off cool like this, trying to act like she is unfazed. Elizabeth and her had been close friends, leaving her had been nearly as hard for Jane as it had been for me. Seeing Eva, being reminded that she abandoned her closest friends without so much as a goodbye, can't be easy for her though she will stop at nothing to make it seem like it is.

"Oh, please. They are not. Twins at the most. Which means Elizabeth moved on, had children. Isn't that what you wanted?" Her eyes very clearly say that is what she wanted. Jane and I both wanted Elizabeth to have the brightest future possible.

"Yes, of course. But I most certainly did not want one of her great great grandchildren showing up the one time we are allowed to go to high-school!" I growl. After we relocated to America because there was talk of the Cullens putting together another army and planning a surprise attack, Jane had begged for hours to be allowed to attend school. Master finally relented, but refused to let her go alone. So he sent many of us.

"Well you are going to have to deal with it. I've always wanted to give high-school a go, and you're not ruining it for me." She snaps, and with that distasteful note, leaves. I groan and flop on my bed, my head pounding. Elizabeth, if you're trying to make me suffer for what I did to you over a hundred years ago, trust me, its working.


	5. Chapter 5

EVA POV

I sit awkwardly next to Alec, biting my fingernails nervously. He is such an amazing painter, its intimidating. And there is just something about him that makes me feel weak and insignificant. His eyes flash to me, and a knowing smile spreads across his face.

"How many times do I have to tell you that biting your nails is a bad habit?" He chuckles, but cuts off mid-laugh, his whole body going rigid. What the hell? When has he ever told me that?

"I uh... What?" I don't even know what to say.

"I- I'm sorry.. Just forget I said anything." He shakes his head, returning his attention to his art.

"If it bothers you, I won't do it." I take my hand from my mouth, picking up my brush and dipping it in red paint.

"No, its not a problem. Like I said, you remind me of someone I once knew. She bit her nails quite often also." He is becoming agitated. I realize my theory of us meeting on vacation long ago is stupid. He was obviously quite close to this girl who looks like me.

"Tell me about her." I begin painting nothing, just a bunch of random lines and squiggles.

"She, uh.. She looked just like you, obviously. But from what I can tell so far, your personalities are worlds apart." He grimaces. Is that disappointing to him?

"What do you mean?" I whisper, pretending to become absorbed with what I am painting.

"She was very quiet and timid. Afraid to speak her mind, embarrassed easily. It took months to get her to trust me.. She was the kindest person I've ever met, though. She wanted to help everyone, to fix everyone's problems. Maybe that's why she was a nur- I mean, she wanted to be a nurse."

"How did you two meet?" I ask, feeling as if there is something I should be remembering. Someone I should be remembering.

"Her father was a wealthy man. He took her along with him on a business trip to Europe, where I lived a while ago. They were there for a few months, and then I sailed back to America with them, much to my, uh, father's disapproval. But we soon had to, um, go separate ways.." He stutters, and the the halting words sound odd coming from such a flowing voice.

"Oh. How long ago was it?" I murmur.

"One hu- I mean, one year ago." He shakes his head, as if cursing himself internally. Was he about to say one hundred? No, no. I'm letting my imagination get the best of me.

"So soon." I say in surprise. For some reason, I had been picturing this as some far off fairytale. But Alec can't be more than 16, so of course it couldn't have been too long ago.

"Its longer than you think." He whispers. Before I can ask anymore questions, the bell chimes, and he is gone.


	6. Chapter 6

I can feel their gaze boring into my profile as I walk across the school parking lot. I sneak a glance up and am met with two pairs of bluey purple eyes. Corin and Heidi Volturi. I yank my hair tie out, allowing a curtain of blonde curls to fall down and provide me with a small amount of protection from their creepy gaze.

"Hello Evalyn." A silky voice murmurs from my right. I jump in fright and look up to be met with pale skin and unnatural beauty.

"Hi, um, Jane isn't it?" I feel like a mouse trapped in a snake's gaze. She tilts her head slightly to the side, as if I have caught her interest.

"Yes. It is." She just stands there, studying my face intently, making me feel awkward.

"I have to go to class.." I mumble, turning to leave. Ice wraps around my upper arm, jerking me back. I nearly drop all of my books. Bewildered, I look down to see it is actually her thin, bony fingers wrapped around me. Dang, she has a strong grip. There will probably be bruises tomorrow.

"Ouch. What the hell?" I stare down at her hand.

"I need to talk to you. Do you by any chance have a deceased relative by the name of Elizabeth?" She inquires, looking as if this is a perfectly normal question that she honestly expects me to know.

"Uh, I don't know? I guess its a possibility. All of my family members on my mother's side have had names that start with E for generations. Why?" I ask. Elizabeth does sound sort of familiar..

"No reason." She chirps, then walks away briskly, leaving me standing in the cold, now vacant parking lot with a whole lot of questions and absolutely zero answers.

Later in art, I asked Alec about the weird encounter with his sister. He completely flipped out.

"She what?" He nearly yelled. Thank God everyone was talking so much that the outburst didn't draw too much attention.

"Will you keep your voice down?" I hiss. "I said, she asked me if I had a relative named Elizabeth. What does that even mean? Why does she care?"

"I.. Don't know. Just forget it. She asks weird questions to see how people react. It helps her get to know them.." He mumbles.

"That's...odd. Why does she need to get to know me?"

"She must think we are friends or something." He shrugs.

"Well are we?" I didn't think we were. We talked for brief periods of time in art, but social contact outside of this classroom is nonexistent.

"No. I mean, not that I don't like you, but we've only known each other a week. And I'm not the type you want to befriend." He scowls at his masterpiece of a painting.

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"You ask a lot of questions." His voice is low and dark and quite honestly a bit frightening.

"You are a confusing person."

"You don't even know the half of it." He chuckles.

"When you say things like that, you can't expect me not to ask questions. I've always loved a good mystery novel, or murder show. And here you are, mystery in the flesh, and I won't be able to sleep well until I've figured you out." I grin slightly.

"Don't waste your time. Figuring someone like me out would take a millenia." He gives me a small smile. A harsh, cold, humorless smile, but a smile nonetheless. Chills tingle up my spine as I get the oddest sensation that he has that kind of time on his hands.

"Waste my time? I have a feeling figuring you out would be the exact opposite of a waste of time." I murmur. When he doesn't say anything, I add, "But you could save me the effort and just explain your complex self." I smile at him, trying to lighten the mood.

"Eva, if I told you all about myself, I would most definitely have to kill you." He smirks, a deadly glint in his eyes.. Those same spider-leg tingles race up my back as something in subconscious sends me a vague warning: Alec Volturi is very dangerous.


	7. Chapter 7

I watch, unable to move or speak, as a girl that looks just like me stares up at a boy whose face I can't see. All I can see is a thick mess of black hair and deathly pale skin. I can't hear their voices, but I can feel their pain. He is standing slightly hunched and tears are welling up in her tortured, glassy midnight-blue eyes.

And then he leaves, going a way that still doesn't let me see his face. The girl crumples to the ground, her frilly, lacy dress fanning out around her as she sobs into the vacant night air.

I awake with a gasp, bolting up right in my bed. The TV is still on, some cartoon playing faintly in the background. My digital clock tells me it is 3 in the morning.

I lay back down, but can't seem to go back to sleep. The TV casts odd, distracting, colorful figures across the room as the images on the screen change, but I can't turn it off. I don't want to be left alone in the dark.

What was that dream all about? It looked as if it took place decades ago, back when those types of dresses were common, and the unidentified boy's suit would have been everyday wear. But that girl looked exactly like me. And that flop of black hair...could that have been Alec's?

After 20 minutes of sitting alone with my thoughts and suspicions nagging at me, I finally decide I have to do something. I roll out of bed and tiptoe out of my room, then quietly make my way into the dusty old attic.

My house has been around for generations. It was passed down to my mother by her father, and to him by his father, and so on and so forth. My mother is a priss though and made my father renovate it. Nearly every room in this house has been remodeled and my dad is still paying it all off. But the attic has stayed untouched for decades. Its sort of creepy because I swear this house is haunted and it seems logical that the ghosts of prior owners would like to stay in the one room that is still the same as it was in their day.

I begin sifting through piles of boxes, looking for one in particular. My family tree. It stretches back for many, many generations because Mom found this website that allows you to track all your long-deceased family members.

I finally find the old plastic tub that contains not only the tree, but old family photos and scrapbooks. I slide it open with shaky fingers. Inside is a mess of random scraps of things. A few layers underneath, I find the big green laminated tree my mother put together. It is rolled up because if it were all stretched out, it would be much too long to fit in the box. I take off the rubber-band around it and it flops open, rolling way past me on the floor.

At the very bottom is the name of Esmerelda and I. Above is the name of my mother and father, and all my mother's siblings along with their spouses. Then my grandparent's and my great uncles and aunts, and it just keeps going.

I search through the names going up. Tons of E names, but no Elizabeth. Wow, most of my family members had children at a young age and died young also. My own mother had me when she was barely 20. My finger suddenly freezes as it encounters it. The name. My great great great great grandmother. Born 1875, died 1907. Elizabeth Johnson.

My heart pounding in my chest, I scurry back over to the tub of items and begin wildly tossing through pictures. At the bottom is a stack of old, black-and-white pictures. The color camera wasn't invented until 1907, which is the year Elizabeth died, so these seem promising.

I slide off the black band around them and begin sorting through. At first there is only old men in suits showing off something or other, but halfway through I find it. Her.

A picture of a girl my age with blonde curls piled on top of her head, a dress somewhat like the one from the dream, and really big, light eyes is smiling at the camera, leaning against a house on a sunny day. It might as well have been me dressed up for a play though. Because she looks exactly like me, and that house is like an older version of mine. Elizabeth lived in this house.

I am gasping for air by now, so confused. This is the girl that looked just like me, the one that Alec fell in love with. My logical side says no way, but its what my intuition is telling me. And hadn't I almost heard Alec say he met her one hundred years ago?

Something very wrong is going on here, and I am determined to figure out what.


	8. Chapter 8

I can feel the old photograph burning holes in my front jean pocket. I am shaking so hard I can hardly hang on to my small backpack as I walk to art. Alec, with his wise words and cunning eyes, is going to know something is up. He'll see right through my "casual" questions. He will read me like an open book.

I take a seat next to an already painting Alec. Mrs. Mott hasn't even told us our assignment... "Hi Alec." I say timidly. He looks at me curiously.

"Hello Eva." He smiles hesitantly, and the sheer, heart-breaking beauty of it knocks me breathless. I don't say anything else for a few more minutes until I decide its now or never.

"Alec, how old are you?" I ask him without looking up.

"15." He says automatically, as if he is some kind of wind-up robot programmed to say exactly that.

"When is your birthday?"

"August 1st." Another mechanical answer.

"Where in Europe did you live?"

"Italy."

"Were you born there?"

"Yes."

"Why are you so pale? And why are your eyes so light?"

"Genetics."

"Were your parents not born there?"

"No. But my adoptive parents were."

"You were adopted?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Before I can remember."

"Why?"

"My parents died in a fire."

"I'm sorry. Where were they from?"

"I don't know! What is with the twenty questions?" He exclaims in exasperation.

"Just trying to figure you out." I say evasively. I have gotten what I need though. Alec's answers were all either too fast or a beat too late. He is lying. Now I just have to figure out why.

"Having any luck so far?" He grins loftily.

"Not exactly." I can't tell if it is the truth or a total lie. Have I gotten anywhere? I'd say yes. I've discovered a photograph from a century ago that my intuition is telling me could have been taken my Alec himself because he was most definitely around then. I've found out he is lying about his whole past, and I can just sense something weird about him.

"Good." He continues smiling.

"Are you willing to answer my questions, though?" I ask hopefully.

"Why not?" He shrugs.

"Do you have any relatives still living?"

"I didn't keep in contact."

"Have you ever been in love?" The question tumbles out before I can stop it. He pauses in his fast-paced answers.

"Yes." He says slowly.

"With who?" I am almost afraid to know the answer.

"A...girl. The one who looked like you. Her name was.. Beth." He grimaces, as if just saying it is painful. Beth.. Elizabeth... Oh God..

"If you were in love with her, why did you leave her?" I cry. The class pauses in its low hum of chatter and every head turns our way. My cheeks flush scarlet.

"Keep quiet!" Alec hisses. Slowly, everyone goes back to what they were doing. "And what do you mean why did I leave her?" Alec growls once no one is paying attention.

"Why did you leave E- I mean, Beth? Why did you hurt her?" I can feel my eyes becoming moist with tears.

"I... I never told you I left her." He stares at me suspiciously. I freeze. Uh oh.. And there was my first slip up. I had been thinking about the dream I had, the one where Alec left Elizabeth crumpled in the mud.

"I, uh. I just sort of assumed.." My mouth becomes dry with nervousness. He studies my face, and I can tell her doesn't like what he sees. The bell rings then, but he doesn't slide out in the blink of an eye as usual. He sits there, keeping me locked in his gaze with him, while everyone else leaves. Then he grabs my wrist, his hand just as cold as his sister's, and begins hauling me out. I am too scared to ask where we are going.

Everyone stares as Alec pushes his way through the crowds with me in tow. We are out in the damp, chilly parking lot when the bell rings. Great. I'm going to be late for fifth period. If I even get to fifth period at all..

Alec leads me towards a sleek black Mercedes. The nicest car in the lot. Must be one of his sibling's. He walks me around to the passenger side, opens the door, and shoves me in. As fast as an Olympic gold medalist, he is in the drivers seat, staring intently at me and I realize he is wearing contacts. Colored contacts by the looks of it. Blue, I think.

"Tell me what you know, Evalyn McQuaid." He murmurs, eyes on high alert to detect any changes in my face that would give me away if I lied.

"N-nothing. I don't know what you mean." I have a gut-wrenching feeling that I am in horrible danger.

"Stop lying." He hisses. My heart thrumming, I slide a quivering hand into my pocket and return with the picture. He snatches it from me. His expression turns from one of anger, to one of pure shock as he studies it. Then, ever so slowly, one of total and complete terrible sadness and grief.

One long, wintry finger brushes against the picture, brushing against Elizabeth's cheek and hair. His eyes glitter with tears, but not a single one spills over.

"Oh, Elizabeth." He whispers so low I'm sure I wasn't meant to hear. He continues whispering but I only pick up on fragments of it. "so...beautiful...oh, why...lovely...miss you...my love."

"You didn't fall in love with a girl named Beth. You fell in love with Elizabeth, my great great great great grandmother. I just can't figure out how." I murmur. Suddenly, all of his heart-wrenching agony disappears. His eyes flash up to mine, hard and unreadable.

"You need to stay out of others' business, Eva. You don't understand the dangers of the world. You've learned too much already. One more step and you might push me to do something I really don't want to do. You might have already crossed a dangerous line." His voice is dripping with malice. I feel like I might explode from fear.

"I just..." I don't even know what to say at this point. His hand reaches across me, causing my heart to beat even faster somehow. Then he pulls the handle of the door and shoves it open, a clear message for me to get out. I slowly wobble out. "I'm sorry, Alec." I whisper. He doesn't listen, just closes the door for me, starts the car, and peels out, taking my picture with him.


	9. Chapter 9

Alec switched out of art class. His family now sits at the farthest possible table from me in the cafeteria. He parks on the other side of the lot, and avoids me at all costs going to and from classes in the hallway.

I haven't given up though. I'm still desperately trying to piece this jigsaw puzzle together. Alec practically admitted his long lost love is Elizabeth, and that he is definitely not what he seems, though anyone who gives it enough thought could figure that out.

I'm sitting in biology right now, not paying attention as the monotonous teacher drones on. I have my handy spiral out and am tapping my pink mechanical pencil against it in thought. I open it up to the next clean sheet and write _A.V_ at the top.

On the first line I make a small, dark bullet and write_ At least a century old_. I make another bullet beneath and write _Very pale, cold, and beautiful. _I continue making bullets, making a list of things, searching back through the past couple of weeks. _Super fast and strong. Love my greatX4 grandma. Weird eyes (blue contacts?). _

When I have a list put together, I stare at it for a good twenty minutes. I think about it all through my next class. And my next class. I think about it at cheer practice (I nearly dropped Caroline again, oops!). I think about it on the drive home(while also thanking the heavens it is Friday). I think about it while I'm doing my Home Economics homework. I think about it as I get into bed. As I am trying to fall asleep, my phone rings. I answer it wearily.

"Hello?"

"Eva?" A voice slurs on the other end, with a background of loud music and people talking.

"Hutch?" I ask in confusion. Hutch had asked me to the dance, finally, and we had gone together without a problem. But we've hardly had any alone time in the weeks since then.

"Babe, its over." He hollers over the noise.

"Its..what?" I exclaim, bolting up right in bed.

"I'm at.. Ronald's p-party, baby! Buncha n-naked girls! Its. Over." He slurs all his words together and then the line goes dead. My phone slips from my clammy grasp. Tears well up in my eyes. Sobs begin to ripple through my chest. Hutch just broke up with me. He is drunk, at some party with tons of sleazy girls, and he dumped me.

"Eva? Are you okay?" Esmerelda's timid voice asks from outside my door. I wipe my face furiously.

"I'm fine!" I growl back. I hop out of bed, throw on some shorts and a tank-top, pull my curls back into a ponytail, slide on some flipflops, and storm out of my room. Esmerelda is outside my room, looking terrified and meek. I realize she looks smaller than usual. Has she lost weight? Why haven't I noticed?

"Eva?" She grabs my wrist before I can get to the stairs.

"What?" I hiss, turning back towards her.

"I'm worried about you. You haven't been acting normal lately. You haven't even been acting sane. What is going on?" She whispers.

"Nothing! I am perfectly _fine_. Leave me alone." I yank free of her grip and flee down the stairs.

"Eval-" Is all I heard my night-owl of a mother say before I slammed the door to the garage closed behind me. I get in Mom's car, thankful she keeps the keys inside since I don't have a license and therefore no car of my own. I speed off, relishing in freedom.

The night is crystal-clear, with a few gold stars shining around a crescent moon. I drive angrily down the familiar streets of Chicago, my home since I was born. I get away from the bright lights of the city, out on the country roads of the suburbs. I've always loved it back here; big green pastures, large majestic horses, sparkling ponds. Just beautiful.

My head is turned sideways, looking out my window at a brown and white pinto, when I see something out of my peripheral vision. I turn forward and realize there is a man standing in the middle of the road, his skin pale white, his hair stark-black, and his black cloak is billowing in the breeze. I slam on my brakes as hard as I can and swerve to the left.

Everything seems to slow down. I watch as the unearthly beautiful man smiles a slow, sinister smile, hear the frightened neighing of some nearby horses, and feel the tipping of the small sports car. All the windows bust as my car topples into the ditch, and one tears through the air bag just as it inflates. I bash my head against the steering wheel. My vision swims with gray waves, and an evil pair of red eyes appear before me. Then, everything goes dark.


	10. Chapter 10

My eyelids flutter open to the sound of a slow, continuous beeping. I am blinded my florescent lights. As my vision adjusts, I observe my surroundings with a sort of numb-calmness. The walls are pastel green. The floor is white tiled. I am laying in a bed with cold metal rails and white sheets. A few vacant chairs are on one wall. Gaudy balloons and frivolous bouquets of flowers cover the window sills and a back counter and the nightstand next to me. A few IV's are in my arm, and the beeping I heard is coming from a machine measuring my heart-rate. There are other tubes plugged into me, but I don't really know their names or what they are for.

My head is throbbing. My mouth tastes funny, like disgusting medicine kids always try to avoid taking. Suddenly, the door opens and in walks a dark-skinned nurse carrying two more bouquets of flowers. She gasps when she sees me.

"You... You're awake." Her eyes are wide, the whites seeming very white because of how dark her irises are.

"Where am I?" I croak. My voice sounds as if it has never been used; rough and scratchy.

"The hospital.. Let me go get the doctor." She sets the flowers down quickly and rushes out though I beg her to stay and explain or at least give me some Tylenol to stop this headache.

A few minutes later and a tall man with wavy gray hair walks in wearing a white coat and holding a plastic clipboard, looking like a doctor out of a movie.

"Hello, Miss McQuaid, I'm Dr. Finglebright." He smiles as if we are old friends.

"What is going on?" I demand. Then the door opens yet again and in comes my mother, looking frantic. She rushes to my side.

"Oh, Eva, you're awake! You're awake, oh God, thank you. You're awake, you're awake!" She cries, stroking my hair which feels dirty and tangled.

"Will somebody please tell me what is going on?" I demand.

"You've been in a coma for a week now, Evalyn." The doctor says, his face the epitome of seriousness.

"A..coma? But why?" I ask desperately. And then everything comes rushing back to me. Hutch's phone call, speeding down the back country roads, the creepy man, the car crash. Every detail swarms through my head.

"You fell asleep at the wheel and swerved off the road. Oh, Eva, how could you be so reckless?" Mom blubbers through her tears.

"Fell asleep at the.. What? No I didn't! There was a man! A man in the middle of the road! And he.. He smiled at me! And he was wearing a black cloak and he had mean, red eyes! He even came to make sure I was dying! He tried to kill me!" I cry out. The doctor and my mother look at me like I'm crazy.

"You have suffered quite a bit of head trauma, Evalyn. Maybe you should rest up a bit." Dr. Finglebright inches towards the door, Mom following his lead.

"What? Rest up? I've been asleep for a whole week! I want to see my friends! I want.. I want to see Alec Volturi!" I exclaim randomly. What the hell? Where did that come from?

"Alec? Oh goodness, that young boy is the one who brought you in! He was carrying you as if you weighed nothing, and looking at you like you were the sun his world revolved around! He stops by before school and as soon as he gets out everyday waiting to talk to you! I think he is out there now, I'll go get him." Mom smiles, obviously thinking there is something romantic going on between me and such a handsome guy. Alec brought me in? How did he find me? Why has he been waiting for me? As the two adults disappear out the door, I try to comb my fingers through my unkempt hair, feeling like a mangy mutt.

"Eva?" A silky voice drifts to me from the doorway. I look up from where I had been plucking through a knot at the end of my hair, a scarlet blush rising to my face.

"Oh, hi Alec." My voice still sounds horrible, especially next to his musical, smooth-as-satin one. He closes the door behind him, and walks gracefully to my side, leaning his elbows against the metal railing. He is so close I can smell his sweet, honeysuckle scent.

"I've been worried about you." He says quietly, and I realize how much I've missed him. Missed his lustrous black hair, creamy alabaster skin, blue-violet eyes, and dazzling smile. As I am taking in his face, I remember something on my list. _Weird eyes(blue contacts?)_. My gaze flickers back to Alec's eyes, taking in the circular outline of his contacts. And then I remember the crimson eyes of the man who caused me to wreck. Blue + Red = Purple. Alec's eyes are really red.

"You know who did this to me." I accuse.

"What do you mean? You fell asleep at the wheel, Eva." He arches one eyebrow. The lie is very convincing, but I seek out the little give aways. His tense posture, the tightness of his rosy lips, his clenched fists, the worry and guilt in his eyes.

"No I did not. Someone made me crash. Someone with red eyes, just like yours." I stare defiantly at him. He glares back.

"I have blue eyes." He meets my critical stare for only a second before looking away, knowing I'm going to see the outline of his contacts.

"No you don't. You have blue _contacts._"

"You're crazy." He spins around swiftly to leave, and in his haste, brushes a fingertip against my exposed arm. It feels like ice. As he sweeps across the room, he begins talking. "You need to stop prying, Eva. You're luck I was there to save you. Mind your own business before you get seriously hurt." His voice is low and hard and I have to strain to hear it. Was that a threat? I've been in a coma for a week, I don't know about him, but that is "seriously hurt" to me. He is frightening me a bit by now, but just before he can leave, I speak up.

"Alec?" I call. He looks back, eyes still harsh and dangerous. "I won't bother you about this anymore if you will come back to art. Its not the same without you."

He seems surprised at first, but then a cruel, humorless smile plays on his lips as he says, "This isn't a negotiable deal." And slams the door shut behind him.


	11. Chapter 11

I had to stay in the hospital for a few more days, but on Tuesday, November 23rd, I was released. I went back to school on Wednesday, expecting everyone to fawn over me. But no one did. No one said a word to me. When I tried to talk to Whitney, Natalie, and Caroline, they all shared disgusted looks and left. Nobody would even look at me. By lunch, I had had enough of it. I confronted Caroline, pushing her petite frame against the wall and demanding she tell me what is going on.

"Word on the street is, Hutch got you knocked up, you had an abortion, he dumped you, and then you tried to commit suicide. You are the freak and the slut of the school now. And power has shifted since you have been gone. Whitney rules the school now, with Hutch at her side." Caroline had smirked, and then squirmed free of my grasp to go flank Whitney who threw a nasty look my way with a flip of her bleach-blonde hair.

I spent lunch crying in the girl's bathroom. How could people think such horrible things about me? I've never been pregnant, I'm still a virgin! And it wasn't suicide, it was freaking homicide I tell you! This is all so crazy! This whole year is crazy! I've been queen of this school since kindergarten! Whitney can't steal it from me because I go into a coma for a week! What a backstabbing bitch!

As I walk into art, my head down so my hair can shield my face from all the unwanted, revolted stares, something in my peripheral vision from between strands of gold catches my eye. Was that a swoop of iridescent black? I pull my hair behind my ear for a second to find Alec painting at his easel, trying to hide the smile on his face.

"Alec?" I sit down next to him, clearly confused. I thought what he said in the hospital meant he had absolutely no intention of coming back to art.

"Eva?" He looks at me with the same confusion, as if he is shocked to see me here also. But his eyes are playful.

"You came back." A slow smile spreads across my face.

"Your wish is my command." He smiles coldly at his shielded painting.

"But I'm guessing no more questions?" I ask dejectedly. I can't give up on this mystery, not now. I will solve it if its the last thing I do.. Which it very seriously might be.

"More questions." He surprises me, but before I can suck in a breath to rattle off a stream of them, he continues by saying, "But you won't be asking them this time."

"I won't?" I don't like where this is going.

"No. I will." His eyes are dancing with amusement though his face is expressionless.

"I'm not an interesting person." I warn.

"How old are you?" He asks anyways.

"15, just like you." I try desperately to hide my smile. We both know that in all actuality, Alec is much, much older than fifteen.

"Right.. What's your favorite flower?"

"Purple roses."

"Ah, the symbol of eternal love. Fitting in a way." He says mysteriously. "What is your favorite food?"

"Tacos."

"Where do you love to go?"

"The ocean. My questions actually had a purpose, these seem pointless." I accuse.

"Pointless? What if I wanted to surprise you with a romantic, ocean-side dinner for two with tacos and purple roses?" He grins loftily. I giggle at the absurdity of it. Of course I've thought of Alec in that sort of way, but I could never see him, a beautiful, dangerous, glorious creature of the unknown, having any interest in me.

"Well, if that is the case, then please continue." I smile back at him.

"Who is your best friend?" The question is innocent, but it stops me short. My mouth open, ready to blurt out, "Whitney, Caroline, and Natalie!" I suddenly realize I don't have a best friend. Hell, I don't even have one friend.

"I.. I don't know."

"How do you not know?" He tilts his head slightly to one side.

"I don't have a best friend. Or any kind of friend for that matter." I swallow hard, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat. Alec nods. Has even _him_, a reclusive Volturi, heard the rumors? But then again, I have a feeling Alec could find out most anything by just sitting in his little corner of the lunch room.

"I could be your friend. If you would like." He says quietly. My heart pounds with a mixture of excitement and...something else. What is that? It feels like what I use to feel for Hutch, but intensified. Love? No, no. I can't be falling in love with Alec!

But then I see the way he is looking at me, smiling at me. I'd bet a million dollars he used to look at Elizabeth like that too.

"So history really does repeat itself." I whisper softly, my eyes dancing with uncontainable joy. He looks at me and has the same revelation I just had.

"Maybe it does." He tries not to show how happy he is, but I can see it.

"I guess there is only one way we can find out." I say shyly, biting my lower lip.

"Eva, it would be my honor if you would accompany me to the fall dance this Friday evening." He says with a charming smile that makes me lose my breath. And as soon as I get it back, I lose it again. Did he say _this _Friday? The fall dance is already here?

At my school, we have a fall dance instead of a winter one because by winter there is a good chance school will get canceled on the scheduled date. There are also other complications with dresses and the weather.

"I would love to." I tell him. He beams and my heart stops for a moment. I can tell he heard because his smile turns a bit smug, but he doesn't say anything.

**Just a heads up, the vampire from the road is Aro. He knows about Eva and Alec, and well, lets just say he isn't too happy. Oh and the love between Alec and Eva has to be pretty fast because there is other stuff I need to get through and I don't want this story to be that long.**


	12. Chapter 12

I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I am wearing a short, backless, just-above-mid-thigh length black dress. It is sort of shiny, giving it a leather look, and very clingy with a black satin ribbon tied around my waist and thin straps holding it up on my shoulders with a modest neckline and a pair of dangerously pointy black heels complete the look. My lips are sheathed in red lipstick that I'm not sure I can pull off, and I've straightened out my curls so they hang dead-straight around my hips, shiny and gold. My hazel eyes are ringed in black eyeliner, smoky eyeshadow, and lengthening mascara.

This isn't really my typical look, but I don't have any more friends to impress anymore and I feel I need to live up to Alec's badass-in-black look.

The doorbell rings and my first instinct is to sprint down the stairs. But I take each step carefully, not about to trip and sprain my ankle or something. I find Alec talking to my parents downstairs.

"Hi Alec." I look up from beneath my gunk-covered lashes. He glances up and then gawks.

"You look beautiful, Eva." He finally whispers. Mom and Dad made us pose for pictures, and then Alec leads me out to his car. Didn't he tell me he is only fifteen? I decide not to ask. Alec seems capable of driving me to and from school safely, and even more capable of getting his hands on a fake license.

"So when did you become Cat Woman?" He grins, bemused, glancing over at my leather-looking dress. I blush but try not to let him see.

"Do you not like it?" I ask, crossing, uncrossing, and crossing my legs once again nervously.

"I love it." He breathes, reaching over and lacing his fingers through mine. It is then that I notice what he is wearing; dark jeans and a black silk dress shirt that enhances his glossy black hair.

We arrive at school and he behaves like a perfect gentlemen. Opens the car door for me, links his arm through mine, walks me to the building, opens the school door for me, and walks me to the gym, which is where the dance is.

The gym is decorated in fall colors such as orange, yellow, and red. The decorations are mediocre, the snacks I know from experience taste stale and expired, the music is old-fashioned, and the whole thing is just about seeing who wore the more expensive dress. Well, it is for everyone else, but not for me. Last year it might have been, but this is a whole new ball game. Now it is all about Alec and making this night special. Alec and I begin dancing as the first decent song comes on. His arms encircle my waist as my hands lock around his neck.

"Eva, I'm so glad you could make it." An all-too-familiar voice interrupts my giggling at something Alec said. I turn around, coming face-to-face with pasty pale skin and long white-blonde hair. Whitney, with Hutch at her side.

"I think everyone is." I smile sarcastically at her.

"Oh, of course. Its so good to see you out, everyone knows how depressed you've been lately." She snickers.

"You're a lying backstabber, you know that?" I scowl at her.

"So you must be a nosy attention whore who hangs out with the creature from the black lagoon!" She smiles cheerfully. I feel Alec's hands clench into fists next to me.

"And you're a heartless, slutty bitch. Oh, I'm so good at this game." I return her sickly-sweet smile.

"Say what you want, but I won here, Eva. I got all your friends, your popularity, and your boyfriend. You got..that." She crinkles her nose in distaste at Alec. My own hands ball up tightly.

"So you got backstabbers who only care about themselves, something I don't care about, and a cheating loser while I got an amazing, funny, sensitive, wonderful guy? You're right, you beat me bad." I nod my head in mock sadness.

"You're such a pathetic, worthless little whore, you know that Eva?" Hutch's voice is more menacing than I've ever heard it. At the speed of light, Alec's fist pulls back and hits Hutch smack in the face. There is a sickening crack and blood spurts everywhere. Hutch looks dizzy and then collapses back on the floor. Everyone gasps and looks up.

"Lets get out of here." I whisper. Alec grabs my hand again and begins dragging me through the crowd. We flee out of the back exit, laughing until I have tears streaming down my face. After we calm down, Alec leads me out to the old oak tree outside the cafeteria. We sit underneath and he holds me in his arms.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hit him. We barely got one dance." Alec sighs.

"I'm glad you hit him. It was worth missing some stupid dance." I shrug. Alec and I sat under that tree, amongst the scattered fall leaves, until nearly midnight and talked. Just talked. Never kissed all night, though we did hug. And it was the best night ever.

In the days that followed this, Alec and I spent more time together than we ever had. He walked me to and from many of my classes. We sat alone, just the two of us, outside at lunch under the big oak tree. He would let me wear his leather jacket as the days grew colder and Chicago plowed head-first into winter. He even gave me his mobile number, telling me only to use it in a state of emergency, though I may have abused that condition a bit. But so what if a teen girl wants to spend every second talking on the phone with her first love?

Everyday Alec and I fell more and more in love with each other, and he became a necessity in my life. An addiction. Little did I know that our time together was to rapidly drawing to a close.


	13. Chapter 13

I can't stop thinking about Alec. Cold. Pale. Beautiful. Graceful. Ageless. Never eats or drinks. Fast. Strong. What is up with this crazy Volturi clan? With the boy I've fallen so hopelessly in love with over the past month?

It is snowing outside, and I hope it doesn't go so much that we won't have school tomorrow. I think that might be the first time I've ever hoped such a thing. But even though I've lost all my friends, being with Alec makes up for it all.

But I still don't even know what species he is. I promised him I'd drop it, but I just can't. I need something, anything, that will help me figure this all out. There has to be a clue in this old house somewhere!

"Evalyn." An unfamiliar, female voice whispers from behind me. I fall out of my desk chair whirling around to face it. No one is there.

"Evalyn." The voice comes again, this time from outside my door. I slowly stand up and, with shaky hands, creak open my door. The house is so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Everyone is asleep, tucked away in cozy beds. I'm letting my imagination wonder again.

"Evalyn." But there it goes again, whispering from the darkness to my right. I stumble to the light switch and flip it on. No one is there.

"Evalyn." Its coming from the attic. My breathing ragged, my heart drumming painfully in my chest, I creep inside.. No one.

"Evalyn." I can feel breath as chilly as death breathing down the back of my neck. I twirl around, giving a shriek as I see the oddest thing. A glimmering, fuzzy figure of..me? Wearing the dress from my dream.. No. This isn't me. This is much worse. This is Elizabeth.

"E-e-li-" I can't say anything more. I make a mad dash for the door, but an invisible force jerks me back. I then realize the force is not invisible. It is Elizabeth's hand, wrapped around my wrist. But I can't even feel her.

"Don't be frightened. I want to help. And I need your help." She whispers, big sapphire eyes that seem to hold all the pains of the world boring into my own.

"Help?" I squeak, cowering away from her.

"Look at me. I died when I was 22. But I'm seventeen again. And I'm wearing the dress Alec gave me, the one he left me in. You know that. I showed you." Her smile is faint and there is absolutely no trace of humor to be found. Only pain.

"Y-you did?" My voice is still several octaves too high.

"Yes, I did. My life ended the day Alec left me. I moved on, got married, had a daughter, but I never felt the way I did when I was with Alec Volturi. He was my whole life. And I know he left me for my own sake, and I know how sad he has been ever since. I don't think I'll be able to rest peacefully until Alec's soul is at peace. And I think you might be the one to help me there."

"How?" I am memorizing every word she says so I can write it all down later.

"You need to become like Alec." She says evenly, staring at me without blinking.

"And what exactly is Alec?" I ask fearfully.

"Being a member of the supernatural myself, I am not allowed to give away another member's secret to a mortal. But look," She drifts without touching the floor, as my mind wonders to her words about Alec being supernatural (what else did I expect?), over to the far corner of the attic where a floorboard is slightly raised. "My diary is under here. Inside you'll find everything you need to know. The only way you can put at peace the soul of both Alec and I is to join Alec. It is your destiny. I know you love him, more than you realize yourself. You will soon be testing yourself to see just how much you love him." She begins to flicker, like a light about to burn out.

"Wait! Where are you going?" I cry.

"Walking amongst mortals isn't easy. I'll be watching over you. Call for me in time of distress. Good luck, Evalyn." She gives me a ghostly smile before disappearing. My heart is hammering. I have to get that diary.

An hour, a dented crowbar, three broken nails, two splinters, and five cuts later, I'm holding the yellowing pages of a century-old diary. It is a dark plum color, and in fading silver on the bottom reads Elizabeth Johnson. I run back into my room, locking the door behind me. I curl up on my bed with a flash light and begin reading.

At first it is just a boring, day-to-day schedule of a high-society young lady of the late 18th century. But then I find it. The day they met. Tucked in it is a horrific surprise.

It is a picture of Elizabeth, wearing an elegant gown with pearl pins tucked in her hair. And by her side is a tall, dark-haired boy smiling joyfully at the camera. Its Alec. Alec Volturi. How can a boy that goes to my school, is in my grade, be in a photograph with my great great great great grandmother? That was my first thought, but then I remembered that Alec is definitely not what he seems. And I think if I squint hard into the background, I can make out Jane watching the happy couple with a smile on her face.

This is impossible. This is all so impossible. There is no way this is happening. I study the picture further and realize Alec's eyes are wrong. Even without color, I can tell the shade of them is off. They are too dark to be the bluish color they are now. They're red there. Colored contacts hadn't yet been invented. Shouldn't that have scared Elizabeth off in the first place?

I begin reading carefully.

_March 4th, 1891_

_Oh, dearest diary, you simply will not believe it! I just know you won't! Today, while in Italy with Papa for work, I met the boy I am going to marry, the father of my children! His name is Alec. Alec Volturi. Charming, is it not? Elizabeth Volturi. Yes, I like this very much. He is a bit odd, but I find it interesting. He has hair the color of the midnight sky, and skin the color of the first winter snow. His eyes blaze a fiery red that strikes within me not only fear, but a deep longing. His lips are moist rose petals, and the voice that flows from them is like fine silk. He whispered the sweetest nothings into my ear beneath the moonlight by a large fountain in Volterra, and I fell in love. Oh, diary, I will give anything to make him mine! I must go, for I awake at the crack of dawn to meet him in the forest just outside the city gates. If Papa discovers us, he shall surely forbade Alec and I from ever speaking again. Wish me luck, diary._

_~E~_

I read through the next few pages quickly, which tells of their adventures together. It is like some kind of Romeo and Juliet tale. He traveled back to America with her, and she even made a list of his oddities as I had. Finally, I got to something that made my blood run cold.

_September 16th, 1991_

_Diary, oh, diary. You are the absolute only one I can confide in. The secret, which I have known for hardly a day now, is eating me from the inside out. I feel I shall burst if I do not share with you, my only friend with not a mouth to spread it along. Today, my dearest love, my midnight prince, has revealed to me the reasons behind his uncanny beauty and startling, flame red eyes. Alec is a vampire. Yes, that is right. The sweet lips that have brushed against my own so tenderly have also sucked the life straight from others veins. It sickens me to think about. But though I spent nearly three full hours having a melt down in the woods where Alec told me right outside my lovely house on Cranburry Avenue, I have come to terms. Alec has already stolen my heart, and nothing can change that. I am willing to leave behind all of society, my friends and family, to join him in the dark. If only he would be so willing to allow me to do so. I have no doubts that I will convince him in time. Alas, the clock has reached the stroke of midnight, and I must retire to bed. I will be sure to express my feelings on this matter further as soon as I rise._

_~E~ _

My fingers tremble. The leather-bound book slips from my sweaty grasp, plopping onto the sheets of my bed. My eyes are wide, my mind is racing. Alec is a vampire. A vampire. An undead, unfeeling creature. A parasite. Oh. Ohh. Oh no. This is worse than I could have ever imagined.

After a bit more freaking out, I force myself to open the book and flip to the back page. It is exactly what I thought it would be. A page with dried, wrinkled splatters of moisture. A page filled with horrible words written in beautiful, curling calligraphy.

_March 4th, 1992_

_This is the worst day of my life. What a gloomy way to start my last entry.. Yes, this is the final one, diary. You hold far too many valuable secrets now, secrets of a world I was mistaken to ever become involved in. I nearly threw you into the flames earlier, but decided I could never be so cruel. I will stow you away beneath the floorboards of the attic, and pray to the Heavens that you shall never see daylight again._

_Well, you are probably wondering the source of my distress. You see, my faithful companion, Alec, has left me on this most fateful of days. He took me out into the enchanted woods near my house, to the exact same location where he admitted his true identity and knelt on one knee and bestowed upon me a gold engagement ring but three days prior. Today, however, he told me our time was up. I failed at making him realize I am capable of a life such as his own. He is gone without a trace, and I shall never see his radiant glory ever again. It has been exactly a year since I met him in Volterra, Italy, and my, I never thought a year could be filled with so many joyful memories that are eternally etched in my memory._

_Papa is already arranging for me to marry another, some duke of a far off region. I will never love as I loved my sweetest, loveliest, most magical and mysterious knight of knights. My Alec._

_Farewell, diary dearest. Rest peacefully knowing you are doing a wondrous deed by protecting the secrets of a dark world I will never understand._

_Forever in your debt,_

_~E~_

Tears are streaming down my own cheeks, and I have moved the sheets of my bed up to catch them so they don't smear Elizabeth's words. Elizabeth, a sheltered young girl of times I can't even begin to fathom, had loved Alec so much she was willing to grow up in the blink of an eye to be able to carry his burden with him. She had gained strength from her love, strength to be able to deal with it all and never tell a soul. She had loved him so much she was willing to give up her own future to join him. And now I must do the same.


	14. Chapter 14

I didn't see Alec all of the next morning, which isn't unusual. He was waiting outside my home economics class to walk me to lunch though. While laughing and trying to act casual with him, my train of thought was something like this: He is a vampire, he is a vampire, he is a vampire, he is a vampire, he is a vampire, ohhh my gosh, he is a _vampire_.

"Ev, are you okay? You're acting strange." Alec, with one icy arm slung across my shoulder, whispers in my ear. A chilly breeze blows by and I tug Alec's black leather jacket closer around me. I turn around in his arms, my heart thrumming as fast as a hummingbird's wings.

"Can I try something, Alec?" I whisper. He doesn't answer, but doesn't object, which I have learned to be a go ahead signal. Ever so slowly, I lean up to him, making my intent very clear. He stares in bewilderment, but doesn't move an inch. Alec is very careful about no actual skin on skin contact, and though I've made several attempts, he has refused to kiss me.

I support myself with a hand on the left side of his chest, and cup my other hand around his neck. I press my lips against his frigid ones, and silent fireworks fill the air. I press myself harder against him as he begins to respond to the kiss, his arms wrapping around me. I revel in his honeysuckle taste, my taste buds exploding. Just as I am about to take the kiss further, he leans back, a cold smile on his face.

"How long have you known?" He smirks, glancing down at my hands. I blush furiously. He caught me in my test to see if I felt a pulse anywhere on him.

"Last night." I whisper. He nods, eyes unreadable. Then stands abruptly, dragging me with him.

"How does it make you feel?" He asks, hauling me towards the nearby forestry.

"I.. I don't care." I say defiantly. This seems to surprise him.

"And why is that?" He asks, but doesn't give me time to answer. He grabs me and slings my on his back and takes off running. The speed is so extraordinary it feels as if I am flying through the forest. My stomach churns. When he finally sets me down in a large clearing covered in the powdery winter frost, I feel like vomiting.

"God damn." I sway from side to side, finally deciding it would be best if I sit down. Alec sits next to me.

"Well?" He stares impatiently and I realize I didn't answer his question.

"Because.. I think I.. Well, I'm not exactly sure but.. I sort of.. I mean, I guess what I'm trying to say is.. I might kind of sort of possibly be in love with you, Alec." I gulp, staring up at him from beneath my lashes. He stares at me with eyes filled with so many emotions I can't even part one from another to figure out what he is thinking.

"I have killed people, Evalyn. I inted on killing many more people. I enjoy it. I like taking their lives because it makes me stronger. Killing is my life." He grins maliciously. I gulp in fright.

"Its your nature. But I have seen what is deep down. I have seen the person on the inside. And I love him." I press my hand on his chest, shuddering slightly as I once again feel no pulse.

"I knew this was happening." He murmurs, his lips pulling down in a frown. Uh oh.. That isn't good. I push myself against him, feeling like I'm on some sort of mission.

"Let yourself go, Alec Volturi. Let it all go. Let me carry part of your burden, just like you let Elizabeth. For just a moment, be a regular teenage boy." I kiss him for the second time and he slowly responds. Alec's kind, well, they are obviously very impulsive creatures that follow their first desire. Because he took me by my waist without a second thought, pressing me into the chilly grass. I force his head closer to me, releasing a soft moan as his hands skillfully slide off the leather jacket and my purple blouse. My much more clumsy hands fumble for the buttons on his shirt. He unclasps my bra, and I unsnap his jean button. I slide off my skirt as he goes for his jeans. Eventually, we are each lying naked in the field.

Alec's lips trail down from my lips to my throat, his teeth grazing lightly over my major artery there. "I trust you." I whisper, and feel him shake with desire. Then he moves to a less vital vein and shoves his razor-sharp teeth in. The initial pain was horrific, but then the slow, rythmic sucking became a sexual and intimate moment which enhanced my desire tenfold. After a moment he pulled his teeth out, sucked a little more, ran his chilly tongue over the wound, and licked his lips.

"Amazing." He breathes, eyes wide and...red.

"Alec...your eyes.." It startled me to see such intense, burning flames of red replace the normally soft blue-violet. His fingers touch the area just below his left eye.

"The contacts dissolved." He whispers, looking frightened. It takes me a moment to realize he is frightened because of me. Afraid that I will be disgusted by him now, jump up and take off. I lean up and kiss him in reassurance.

We kiss each other for a moment, before moving on to more serious, more beautiful things. And so, while all my peers stared impatiently at blinking red clocks, waiting for classes to be over, I made love to the most beautiful creature I've ever met. A vampire.


	15. Chapter 15

When I awoke, I was laying in my own bed, sunlight streaming through the window into my eyes. At first I thought yesterday had all been one crazy, magnificent dream, until I realized how sore I am. All of it really happened. Alec accepted that I knew his secret gracefully, and then made love to me in a frost-covered meadow. Not even my Whitney's wild imagination could have come up with that one.

Then I remembered Whitney. And Caroline, and Natalie. And Hutch. And everyone else at school. And I quite honestly don't give a damn about any of it. Their selfish, petty worlds seem so distant now its hard to remember I was once part of it. I'm not sure exactly when I separated myself, because I really hadn't been fitting in too well even before the car accident.

But even though I don't find high-school and all the people in it as awesome as I did but a couple months ago, doesn't mean I'm entirely ready to give that all up. Elizabeth had said my destiny is to become a vampire. And though immortality does seem to have its perks, I can't help but notice the bad side. No kids, no food, no family, never aging. Never moving forward in life. Stuck in the same beautiful body for eternity. Can I really give my whole future up for one boy?

As soon as I thought the question, my whole mind, body, and soul screamed the answer back at me. _**Yes**_. Alec isn't just a boy, he is _the_ boy. The guy I want to spend the rest of my life with, however long that life may be.

I slowly roll out of bed, stretching and yawning at the same time. I glance at the clock. 10:40. I lazily plod into the bathroom, looking at my reflection. My hair looks like a shiny gold haystack, my eyes are droopy and tired, but my skin is glowing with happiness. Is that what it is like after the first time you have sex with the boy you are in love with?

I splash cold water on my face and dry off, looking at my reflection again. Now that I've been shocked awake, I realize there is more to myself than I thought. My whole body, clad in only a camisole and shorts, is covered in yellowing bruises. My throat where Alec drank from me is puffy and red with two noticeable red puncture wounds that are much more healed than they should be. I have a black eye (how and when did that happen?) and the left side of my jaw is swollen. I nearly fall to the ground as I realize just how sore my lower body is. Two wintry arms are there to catch me though, saving me and startling me out of my wits.

"I'm so sorry, Eva." Alec's sharp red eyes stare down into mine, filled with angst and sorrow.

"For what?" My voice cracks embarrassingly. I clear my throat.

"Doing this to you." He sets me down on my bed and gestures to my whole body.

"Its not your fault. I wanted to do it." I insist, laying a warm hand on top of his ice-cold one.

"I'm so instinctive. So impulsive. I should have thought about it. I'm so, so sorry." His eyes are filled with tears that I have a feeling aren't capable of spilling over.

"Don't look like that, Alec. This was good. It showed how much we love each other. Now you can turn me like you." My smile giddily. He freezes.

"You want me to what?"

"Change me into a vampire, like you. So we can spend the rest of eternity together." I say dreamily as the hopeless romantic within me takes over.

"I will never do that to you, Eva." He hisses, dropping me on the bed and flashing across the room. I sit up slowly.

"Why not?" I whisper. He stares at me with hard eyes.

"I'm not discussing this." He growls. That deadly glint in his eyes causes me to stop my chatter. I stare out the window and suddenly remember its Friday.

"School!" I look up at him with frightened eyes.

"You can't go to school. I'm going to have to fabricate something so it looks like you tripped down the stairs and got hurt." He rakes his hand through his glossy black hair in thought. I sigh. If you would just change me, we could disappear without a trace and you wouldn't have to fabricate anything, I want to say. But I don't want to push him too much.

"Well what do my parents think?" I wonder how he pulled that off.

"The school called about an hour ago about you missing a few classes yesterday and I pretended to be your father and told them you have a minor case of the chicken pox. I brought you back when everyone was asleep last night, and your parents didn't really notice a thing." He shrugs.

"Of course." I sigh.

"But they will notice, Eva. Everyone already has. I can hear the kids at your school whispering about us. They think we are planning to run away to Vegas and elope." He grimaces at the very Whitney-ish rumor. I realize he said "your school" and not 'our school'. Like he doesn't even belong in my world.

"Let them talk! They mean nothing to me. You are my everything now." I declare passionately.

"I can't strip you of your mortal world because there will come a time when it is all you have." He says mysteriously. My insides tremble.

"What do you mean? You aren't going to leave me, right? Alec, look at me! Tell me you won't leave me like you left Elizabeth!" I cry frantically, trying to get him to turn his head to my direction since he is staring blankly at my door. He slowly turns and looks directly into my eyes.

"I will never leave you, Evalyn." He whispers before crossing the room faster than lightening to lay a delicate kiss on my lips. I didn't notice the flecks of guilt and pain and deception in his eyes then, but I should have. Because maybe it would have prepared me for what was to come.


	16. Chapter 16

Alec and I spent the next few months just enjoying our time together. We made our relationship very open at school, kissing in public and always being together. I tried not to think too much about what he meant when he would say, "I can't, Eva Bear, Jane and I are going out to eat this weekend." or, "I'm going to grab a bite to eat after school with Felix. I'll be home as soon as I can."

And by home, Alec meant my room. That became his home, and that boundary was extended when my parents would go out of town, which is often, and usually Esmerelda makes them take her with. I used to, but not anymore. Not since home has become so much more interesting than any place else in the world.

Alec and I have sex occasionally, but its a treat. A delicacy. Only when he is in a great mood, or I find a way to be particularly sexy. It hurts the next day, but the pleasure of the night makes up for it by a million miles.

It is February now, only a little more than 3 months til school is out. Time flies when you're with a vampire. A hot, dangerous, charming, drop-dead-sexy, romantic, sweet, hilarious, I could keep going on forever, ect, ect, amazing, unpredictable, vampire.

The topic of my transformation is a touchy one. One that Alec avoids at all costs. One that I am determined to talk about. He can't ignore it forever!... Can he?

I glance through the blinds at the last snow for this winter swirling down to the ground. We've been out of school for the past two days, and they're guessing we'll be out for at least three more. This would usually be good thing now, since Alec spends all our time out of school with me, but he left yesterday to go hunting. He has to travel for a long time to hunt because he doesn't want to cause deaths around here because of suspicion, and he doesn't want too many deaths in one place. I guess all his family member's do the same, though not at the same time, but I have never really met them other than my brief encounter with Jane.

I walk over to my large window and pull the blinds up, staring at the crystals falling from the gray sky. I then notice something that scares me more than I can describe: Jane, standing in my lawn, her contact-free red eyes huge and frightened. Jane, scared? She doesn't seem like the type to startle easily. I flee down the stairs, through my dark house (Mom, Dad, and Esmerelda are in Fiji) and out the front door, wearing only an old t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and a pair of socks.

I dash outside, into the blistering wind. It nips at my cheeks and causes my teeth to chatter. Everything is covered in a thick layer of snow that is absorbing all the sound, making it eerily quiet out here. I run over to Jane, not even noticing that the snow comes up to my mid-calf or that huge puffs of ice are attacking my whole body. I run up to Jane, already panting, wondering why she didn't come to meet me or just break into my house, which I know she is more than capable of. But suddenly she is gone, and by the forest behind my house. The one from Elizabeth's diary. She is gesturing for me to follow.

We play that little game for a few minutes as I grow increasingly cold by the second. Finally we arrive by a wide stream that has iced over. She stands still as I approach her this time.

"J-jane," I wheeze, "what-t i-s-s-s g-goin on-n-n?" Panting and chattering, not a good combo.

"I'm so sorry." She whispers, her big red eyes glittering with tears as they slide over to me without moving her body.

"For-" Is all I got out. Suddenly, the dark-haired man who caused me to crash is in front of me. He punches me, though not as hard as I know he could, because all I do is fall back with a horrible pain rocketing through my head. My skull doesn't collapse on itself, so that is good. But why the hell did he do that?

"Do you like stealing, Evalyn?" The man says in a papery voice, appearing above me. "Do you enjoy stealing what is mine? Because Alec belongs to me. I can't have my dear boy falling in love, now can I? I can't have him running off to elope! What a horrid thought!" He raises his hand back and punches me again with the same amount of strength. I want to say something but my teeth are chattering so hard I'll just bite my tongue if I try.

"Aro, just get this over with." I hear Jane whisper. He throws her a deadly glare and she cowers away. Jane? Cowering? What kind of horrible man is this Aro?

"Fine. Say goodnight, little Evalyn." Aro smiles and then punches me so hard stars dance in front of my eyes. He grabs me like I'm some sort of ragdoll and tosses me on the ice of the stream. It begins crackling beneath me, about to break. And then I'll lie in the icy water until hypothermia sets in. Then I'll die, and no one will ever know why. I hear them walk away, Jane releasing a small sob. And for the second time, that terrible long-haired vampire causes me to black out.

Picture link to Eva on profile!


	17. Chapter 17

I groan as my eyes slowly slide open. Every centimeter of my body is sore. I immediately recognize I am in my room by the light pearl-pink paint on the wall. I groggily sit up, wondering how I got here. Wasn't I dying last time I was awake?

I jump a little, causing spasms of pain to soar through me, as someone breathes a sigh of relief on the other side of the room. I look up to see Alec leaning against the far wall of my room, looking immensely overjoyed to see me coming to.

"Alec?" Ouch, it hurts to just move my mouth.

"Eva." He whispers, and is across the room before I even realize he moved. He sits next to me, carefully supporting himself so he doesn't move me at all. His chilly fingertips lightly brush over the side of my face.

"I hurt." I whimper.

"I know, Eva Bear, I know. I'm so, so sorry I ever let this happen to you." He looks like he wants to cry himself.

"It wasn't your fault." I respond immediately.

"Oh, but wasn't it? Aren't I the one foolish enough to not once, but twice lure an innocent young maiden into the world of immortality? I think it is very much my fault." He speaks in that old-time, riddle-like way he sometimes gets caught up in. I frown.

"It was that man's fault. Aro." I recall with a nauseating horror those sinister scarlet eyes and thin pale skin.

"That 'man' is the ruler of my world." He tells me and my jaw painfully drops open.

"Then why is he beating up mortals?" I ask though I think I know the answer.

"You're not just a mortal. You're a mortal who knows entirely too much." He speaks my thoughts.

"Then change me!" I exclaim.

"No. I will never." He vows.

"Why not?" I cry desperately.

"Because you deserve better!" He growls.

"Elizabeth said I have to!" I blurt out. He stops cold.

"She what?" He asks.

"Elizabeth visited me. She is a, well, I don't know, some kind of spirit or ghost. She helped me figure you out. She said it is my destiny to become a vampire with you. She said it is the only way for her soul to be put to rest."

"Elizabeth visited you?" His eyes are filled with longing, envy and hurt, and most of all, love. Love for Elizabeth. Love for another girl. Love that makes the little green monster in me growl and break out of its cage.

"If you could, you would go back in time and change Elizabeth." I say accusingly.

"You're right, I would. Because Elizabeth never even made it out of her twenties. But medicine and technology have advanced now, and you will live a long life." He explains.

"You're a filthy liar! You love her more than you will ever love me. She crumbled into dust decades ago and I still don't have a fighting chance against her! I can't win against a pile of bones!" I hiss venomously, my insides burning with rage.

"That isn't true. I care for you both equally." He says calmly, though there is a deadly glint in his eyes. A warning that I happily ignore.

"You love a dead girl more than your girlfriend? Elizabeth is gone, Alec. Its time you stop wasting your life dreaming about a rotted corpse in the mud." I knew the words were wrong, horrible even, but I couldn't stop them. And I most definitely didn't expect Alec's reaction. He didn't slap me, didn't curse my name like I would have done. He grab me by my sore shoulders and kissed me with an intense, burning passion that made my insides melt and my limbs turn to wobbly rubber. He pulls back after a moment, breathing as hard as I am, his eyes wild and frantic.

"I love you." He whispers. The first time for him to say he loves me. I never quite pictured it like this, with me lying all broken while insulting his dead fiancee.

"I love you too." I hardly manage to breathe out in a light-headed tone. He looks conflicted for a second, as if a full-fledged war is raging on inside him.

Finally, he says, "I can guarantee nothing like this will ever happen again." His eyes sweep down my beat up body. Hope surges in me. I thought he was planning on changing me. Boy, was I wrong.


	18. Chapter 18

Alec wasn't at school today. None of his family was. I wanted to ask Whitney what she had heard about it, but I don't dare approach her these days. After school, I called him six times to no avail. Finally, when the sun had just set on this bleak gray day, he called me. I answered on the first ring, a bit too excitedly. He told me to meet him in the forest behind my house, he had a surprise. Thinking it was the date I would become an immortal, I had all but flown out of the house and through the damp lawn out back to the forest. He was waiting, leaning casually on a maple tree that is just beginning to get its big green leaves back.

"Alec!" I squeal, throwing myself at him. My legs wrap around his waist, and my arms around his neck. He hugs me back fiercely, as if he is afraid I'll float away if he lets go, and then slowly untangles myself from him. He sets me a good distance away. It is then that I notice his crimson eyes are sparkling with tears.

"I'm so sorry, Eva." His voice sounds strange, as if he is being choked.

"What do you mean?" I gulp, realization dawning on me. This isn't the pleasant meeting I thought it would be.

"I shouldn't have let this go on for so long."

"Long? But our story has barely begun. We have eternity." I try to stay in the dark. It doesn't hurt if you don't know what is going on.

"No, I have eternity. You have a human lifetime." He corrects delicately. I stare at him blankly, not wanting to hear his words. "I'm leaving you, Eva." He says gently.

"For how long?" I ask stupidly, trying to pretend he'll be back.

"Forever. You will never see me again." And that strikes home. Never see Alec again? Could I even live without him?

"What? No. No, no. This is some kind of twisted joke. You and I are meant to be together. We belong with each other. You can't just up and leave!" I cry.

"But I can. And I am."

"What is wrong with you! Do you enjoy playing around with mortal girls? Do you just mangle fragile young hearts for kicks and giggles? Are you that fucked up?" I hardly use such rough curse words, and when I do, it means I am _mad_.

"You are my whole world, Eva. You have to know that. And it is because I love you so much that I have to go. You'll move on, you're beautiful and bright. You'll find someone else." He assures as if that makes everything better.

"I don't want anyone else! I want you!"

"By asking for me, you will get more than you bargained for. Save yourself an eternity of being a blood-sucking nightmare and just walk away now."

"I know exactly what I am bargaining for. Getting you forever in turn for becoming a vampire isn't even something I have to stop and think about. You are all I want. For eternity."

"Please, just stop Eva. I can't handle this. You will move on. And I have to go, I have a flight to catch." He glances down at his watch. When did he start wearing that?

"Don't leave me, Alec! Don't leave me here where they all hate me!" Tears begin to slide down my face. He brushes them away with icy fingers, and then kisses me on the lips passionately. He pulls back slightly so his sweet, sweet breath fans across my face.

"I love you Eva Bear. Goodbye." And then he is gone. The leaves on the trees and the foliage flutter with his departure. And in that second, my whole world comes to a halt. It hangs in mid-air, as I try to comprehend it all. And as I realize what this all means, the fragile little thing I call my life comes crashing down, shattering into blank darkness with a deafening screech that only I could hear.

Sobs heave through my chest as I crumple to the ground, curling up in a little ball. All I can think is "Alec is gone. He left." And harsh, cold pain washes through me in great waves.

"Alec!" I scream into the desolate night. I try to stand back up, to fight back the paralyzing pain, but its no use. I wrap my arms around my knees and cry, mumbling my love's name every few seconds. This is the worst day of my life.


	19. Chapter 19

Months passed by. My sixteenth birthday was a blur of loneliness spent holed up by myself. I didn't even taste the expensive cake my mom bought me. I hardly noticed when I got a car of my own, a nice one at that. I locked myself away in my room, slowly slipping farther and farther into depression.

School didn't change much. As everyone found out about the Volturi's skipping town I got a few looks of sympathy, but not many. Nobody really cared. Nobody could see how horrible my life had really become. Sure, I looked like a total mess with my blood-shot eyes, tangled hair, and baggy clothes that I would never have worn before. But everyone just saw a shell of the old Eva. No one saw the turmoil going on inside. How could they? The only way would be to look into my slanted hazel eyes, to see the agony and anger brewing in their golden-green depths, and not a soul cared to stare into my eyes.

Currently I am lying in a ball in my bed, crying my heart out. It seems like eventually I would run out of tears. My eyes would dry up and there would be no more. But I've cried so much I could fill a swimming pool with my tears over the past months.

I cry in the morning when I wake up and realize the glorious encounter with Alec from the night before was only a dream that is now over. I cry at school as I see reminders of Alec everywhere, and no one even spares a glance at the small girl with her head hanging low and her shoulders hunched as tears slip down her sallow cheeks. I cry when I get home from school, expecting to see Alec leaning gracefully against my wall by the open window, smiling devilishly, and realize that will never happen again. I cry before I go to sleep, wishing I could have a pair of frosty arms cuddling me close while icy lips make a steady trail down my neck.

I don't know what I'm going to do. Suicide has been unintentionally contemplated during my hours of loneliness. But do I even have the guts to kill myself? It would hurt if not done right. I've never been able to deal with pain very well.. My sobs quiet. I could do it right now though. I could be through with this horrible, unfair life forever. Just sneak down into Mom and Dad's room, take the gun from the desk drawer...

As these terrible thoughts sneak their way into my head once again, a voice whispers from beside me, "Eva are you awake?"

I jump up and trip out of my bed as I get tangled in the sheets. I fight with the fabric, and then I nearly scream as I look up and see Elizabeth giggling like a little girl as she looks at me. For a moment, I get a glimpse at what she must have looked like a century ago. Before she met Alec and became as intertwined with his world as I had been. A young maiden with hair of gold, eyes of sapphire, skin of pearl, and lips of ruby. A jewel all her own with a childish demeanor that developed from being so sheltered from the world. Care-free, loving life because she had never experienced what it is like to really live.

That glimpse of her simpler times vanishes quickly as she composes herself into seriousness. I slowly unravel myself and stand up.

"Why are you here?" I ask hesitantly.

"Because you aren't fulfilling your destiny." She says melodramatically.

"I'm sorry that he left. There is nothing I can do about it. He could be anywhere." I remind her.

"He is only a few towns away. I can't tell you where exactly, because if I get too close he would be able to sense me and be off like a rocket. But that doesn't matter, because you can't get anywhere near him either without him doing the same."

"Thanks for pointing all that out and assuring me that there is absolutely no way I can get back the boy I love." I smile sarcastically. She rolls her midnight-blue eyes.

"Have you ever thought maybe Alec isn't suppose to be the one who changes you into a vampire?" She arches one delicate brow.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what if you found other vampires? And then they changed you and you found Alec. No one ever said it had to be Alec's venom coursing through you." She points out.

"Where am I going to find a vampire that would be merciful to an insignificant human? If I offered them my neck, chances are they would probably drink til dry instead of allowing me to change." I counter.

"Wrong. Look, there is a clan of nice vampires in Alaska. By nice, I mean they don't drink from humans. If you explain the situation, they may transform you. Its the only chance you've got."

"How am I suppose to find them? Alaska is huge!"

"Anchorage. They live in Anchorage. They'll be the really pale and beautiful ones." She smiles and begins to flicker like last time.

"Oh, no you don't! You haven't given me enough information! Don't leave!" I desperately try to grab at her but it feels like I'm clutching at a puff of condensed air.

"Go to Anchorage after graduation. Find them, explain, change. See you in the future, Eva." She gives me one last ghostly smile before disappearing into the darkness.


	20. Chapter 20

ELIZABETH POV

I watch down on Evalyn as she drives to Alaska. She looks weary, ready to pass out at the wheel. I gently probe into her mind, planting a tiny seed of a thought that she should pull over and rest. I meant at a motel or something, but she decides to save money and sleep in her car. I watch her sleep for a few minutes, and then decide to leave and let her have a peaceful slumber without an envious, invisible supernatural being stalking her.

I drift away at light speed, watching as city lights blur beneath my floating spirit. I get as close as I possibly can to Alec without him sensing me, which is two hundred feet above his hotel. Lucky me, though, my old love is lounging on the roof. I force all my energy into my eyes, allowing me to see him better though I am so far away.

His chiseled features are relaxed into a content expression, his lavender lids closed. That soft-to-the-touch black hair is splayed messily across his forehead, contrasting greatly with his creamy alabaster skin. His rosy lips are pulled up in a tiny little smile.

I've loved this boy for over a century now. He is the keeper of my heart. Sometimes that petty, jealous little thing inside me wonders why I am helping Evalyn get him. What has she ever done for me? She even said all those horrible things about me- yes, I listen in on their conversations sometimes.

But I know why in the core of my being.. Because I need Alec to be happy. Not because of what I told Eva. I lied to her. Her winning Alec over and making him happy isn't going to put my soul to rest. If her making him happy were, I would have been out of here long ago. I need to see Alec smiling happily for the rest of eternity, with his true love always by his side.

But _**I'M**_ his true love! That whiny little voice in my head cries in protest. I swat it away. No I'm not. Eva is. I used to be, once upon a time. And sometimes I wonder why I don't just rejoin Alec. It shouldn't be as hard to be around him as it is mortals. We could live a life together, two unnatural beings who never die..

But I can't do that to him. I can't make him fall for nothing but a clot of air. He couldn't feel me, I couldn't feel him. Couldn't feel those caressing kisses or nurturing embraces. He would never know true pleasure because someone- something like me could never give it to him. I am condemned to a horrible, depriving life that came about from dying young, lonely, unsatisfied, and heart-broken and I'm not taking him down with me.

If I could only talk to him, just one last time.. Just for a moment. To tell him all the things I've kept bottled up inside. Like, how he was the best thing that ever happened to me. How he made my dull, gray world turn into a dazzling scene of color and glitter. How I thought about him every second of every day for the rest of my short life. How even now, in this state of being unable to feel anything physical, I can still feel where he placed that last kiss on my forehead burning and sizzling with electric love. But if I showed myself to him, he would never give up. He would search for me though it is impossible to find me if I don't wish to be found.

"Oh, Alec." I whisper too quietly for him to hear, unintentionally drifting closer to him. All at once, his eyes snap open and his body jolts as if zapped by lightening. He stands up, his head turns upwards towards the blank night air where I have flung myself backwards.

"Elizabeth?" He whispers, searching the sky. "Bethie, is that you?" All I want is to throw myself into his arms. But I can't. I just can't. Self control. Remember your self control, Elizabeth.  
Alec's hopeful expression falls, turning it into one of pure anguish. Tears collect in his scarlet eyes. He begins shaking, and then falls to his knees. My transparent form is quivering also. Then my dark-haired prince utters in a heart-wrenching voice, "I love you, Elizabeth."

EVA POV

My heart races as I stare at them. There are five of them, pale skinned and unearthly beautiful. The two younger girls have their arms linked together, very close obviously. The boy with the long hair has his arm around the smaller one, and the other male has his arm around the older female. They all have gold eyes.

With shaky legs, I approach them. We are in the middle of Anchorage, Alaska, and they are obviously just enjoying being in the night where there are hardly any mortals around to stare at them. Little do they know that I've been seeking them out for the past three months. Finally, I've found them!

I tap lightly on the older woman's shoulder, the Hispanic looking one with dark hair and she turns a little too quickly, obviously startled that the innocent passerby dared go anywhere near her. My instincts have been telling me to flee since I got within a ten yard radius of them.

"Yes sweetie?" She says kindly in the flowing voice of a vampire.

"My name is Eva. I know what you all are. Vampires." I grin excitedly, my rushed words jumbling up. By now they had all gathered around and are looking at each other with a shocked look. Faster than my eyes could see, the older male whips around behind me and throws a blow to the lower part of my neck. My vision swims and then I collapse onto the concrete sidewalk.


	21. Chapter 21

I awake with a throbbing headache. My eyes grudgingly slide open. Damn, it seems like I've been blacking out a lot since I got involved with vampires. I jump as I realize I am surrounded by gleaming gold eyes.

"What was that for?" I groan as I recall what happened, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Who are you?" The Hispanic male asks with cold eyes.

"E-evalyn McQuaid." I slowly sit up.

"What do you know about us?" He growls.

"Alec Volturi." My head is still spinning and I hardly notice that I'm not being coherent.

"What about him?" He is getting frustrated.

"I love him." I smile thinking of my dark-haired angel. They all look around at each other.

"Well what are you doing here?" A pale-blonde haired girl that looks like a much prettier version of Whitney asks.

"He left me. I need you to turn me so I can go find him and spend the rest of eternity with him." I sigh dreamily.

"If Alec left you, my guess is he doesn't want an eternity with you." The blonde girl says. Ouch. She's as bitchy as Whitney too.

"He left me for my own good! I need to go find him! Please help me." I beg, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Where have we heard that story before?" The older male chuckles.

"I say we change her." The strawberry-blonde girl who had been standing silent in the corner speaks up.

"Go against Alec Volturi? Tanya, do you have a death wish?" The long haired guy says, half-joking half-serious.

"Its so romantic though!" She cries.

"I agree with Garrett. We shouldn't cross Alec." The Whitney-look-alike says.

"I think we should." Tanya crosses her arms.

"I say we shouldn't." Pale-blonde girl says. Tanya hisses at the pale-blonde, and with absolutely no warning, launches herself at me. Her teeth dig into my throat, and she sucks for a second before pulling back. The fire attacks my veins.

I know from what Alec told me that it was only three days, but hell, it felt like a lifetime. The pain was so horrible I can't describe it, and I'm not even going to try. But when it was over I was rewarded. Because everything is so beautiful now. Every sound, every glance, every touch. Its amazing.

I have just woken up all alone in a small sky-blue room. I am marveling at my new icy perfection in a full length mirror leaning against the wall. My curly blonde hair is more like golden ringlets now, cascading all the way down to my waist. My fair skin has transformed into blemish-free, stalk-white alabaster. I'm a little taller, the height coming from my ultra-long legs. Slimmer waist, bigger chest. Rosier and fuller lips. My eyes have a thick band of lashes around them. They are a bright, startling crimson and they gleam with thirst and power.

I don't feel like myself. I'm not love-sick, home-sick, and depressed. Every fiber in my being isn't yearning for Alec right now. I don't want life-long companionship. I want to kill. I'm no longer Evalyn McQuaid. I'm a vampire. And I need blood. Now.


	22. Chapter 22

I don't have time for these yellow-eyed freak-shows who are starving themselves of a necessity in life. I don't even bother going downstairs. From what I can smell and hear, they aren't even home. Probably out draining a few bunnies.

With my sharp-as-knives fingernails, I carve out a message in the wall. Why bother looking for pen and paper?

**Fellow vampires,**

**You are all crazy. Go live the life you were meant to. DRINK BLOOD. BLOOD. BLOOD. BLOOD. I NEED BLOOD NOW.**

**Sincerely,**

**The Starving Newborn**

I got a little carried away, and after I'm done I realize it looks like some kind of message in a horror film. With a small shrug to myself, I bash through the window. Why waste time sliding it up when I could be drinking blood? I hop out and take off running into the forest with my new speed.

I pass by many startled deer, and for a moment, my conscience urged me to feed from them instead. But that little guy in my head had started withering up as soon as the venom penetrated my system. He is so much easier to ignore now than he was as a human.

I make my way out of the forest and into the city. Its overcast, which is good, though I don't really take a moment to think about how lucky I am that I didn't just leap out of the forest on a sunny day. I don't have time! I need blood!

I jog down the streets, not caring that I'm getting dozens of stares from varying ages of men though I probably look like a disheveled mess.

With hardly any searching, I find what I am looking for. A slummy, run-down apartment complex. I run inside and am met with a vacant, scarcely decorated lobby. No receptionist, no doorman. I smile at my luck. I run up the stairs and to the fourth and highest floor. Sniffing the air, I choose one. Apartment 4D. Two young males are watching a football game together.

I knock on the door. A few moments later, it opens revealing a large man in only his boxers. His eyes widen as he takes me in, not even trying to hide his roaming eyes.

"Hi, my name is Brooke. I'm a little lost, could I use your phone?" I ask sweetly. I don't know why I used a fake name, its not like they are going to live to tell the tale of the hot girl who stopped by for a visit during halftime of the awesome football game.

"Well, sure." He grins, widening the entrance for me. I step in, not bothering to take in my surroundings. Its just some cheap apartment with a slightly smaller, dark-skinned man also in boxers eating potato chips on a small couch.

"Who do we have here, Ottis?" The dark-skinned man grins widely at me while addressing his friend.

"I dunno, but I think I like her." Ottis puts his arms around my waist from behind, kissing up my neck. I hadn't realized how drunk they both are. He barely flinches at my cold skin.

"I like you too." I whisper, breathing in the scent of his blood. Intoxicating.

"Leave some for me." The dark-skinned man leaps up, coming over to investigate the blonde-beauty in the room.

"I think you two are going to be the ones giving something to me." I smile. They both get excited, I can smell their hormones pumping. Too fast for the human eye to see, I whirl around and sink my aching teeth into Ottis' neck. He shrieks, and his friend cries out. Without a second glance at his dying friend, the dark-skinned man rushes towards the door. I trip him on his way. He crashes to the ground as I finish off Ottis.

I jump at the other guy, and dig my teeth into his neck. Its so natural, so instinctive. I love it. I finish him off, and ransack the house. Hardly any money, of course, but I scrounge up enough to buy me a ticket on an inexpensive airline.

As I am preparing to leave, the door bursts open. Oh shit. I whirl around, planning on having another meal, when I see it is the girl who had fought for me to become an immortal days ago. A lifetime ago. She looks a lot prettier with my new eyes. Tanya, isn't it?

"What have you done?" She gasps, taking in the gory scene around her.

"You guys didn't have anything good to drink. So I ran into town and got something. Don't worry, didn't cost a dime." I flash her my new, haughty smile, hoping I got all the blood out of my teeth earlier.

"Are you crazy? You can't just go around murdering people you lunatic!" She cries, grabbing the two bodies and moving them around. Probably trying to stage something.

"Well no one would ever have suspected you if you hadn't come. And I'll be out of Alaska by tonight." I assure.

"That's not what I mean! We can handle human police. Vampire police are a bit of a problem though. Yeah, you know Alec, the boy you love? He'll come rip our heads off if the Volturi finds out we created an out of control newborn." She says, and the mention of Alec creates something in me. A shred of emotion. Something deep within my unbeating heart clings to it for dear life, but its no use. Its gone just as suddenly as it came. But Tanya saw the flicker in my eyes, and she grabs for it just as desperately.

"What are you going to do about Alec, anyways? Aren't you going to go after him?"

"Why should I?" I say non-chalantly. I begin inspecting my nails, notcing how long they are now.

"Uh, because the whole point of you becoming a vampire was to fulfill your romantic dreams of marrying him.." She is beginning to look really scared.

"I don't need Alec anymore." I explain, heading for the door. She blocks my way.

"You love him. Of course you do." Her big, innocent gold eyes are wide. I grab her by her throat and lift her up in the air.

"Lets get some things straight. First of all, you need to stay out of my business. Second, all I want is blood. Third, I will never, ever love that pathetic excuse for an immortal again. Stay out of my way and I'll be out of here by sun down." I drop her with a smirk and proceed out the door, leaving her crumpled on the floor in shock.

I strut through the building, feeling proud. I'm a newborn vampire. Crazy, out-of-control, powerful. I don't care that I can't control all the emotions whirling around within me, or that I am more blood-thirsty then I can describe. I really don't care about anything right now. I just want some more blood.


	23. Chapter 23

ELIZABETH POV

Oh no. Oh, no, no, _noo_! This is terrible! Eva has gone crazy. Insane with blood-lust. She is all over the place, killing so many yet making it seem inconspicuous because she just travels and travels and travels. Never by car or plane, always on foot.

I watch over her, and try probing into her mind, but it is much harder now that she is an immortal. And vampirism has really done her no good. She is no longer the sweet innocent girl I once knew. The girl who made love to an evil creature of the night because her love and compassion was so strong. The girl who was willing to give her whole life away to help me and Alec. She is a stranger now, and I don't know what I am going to do.

Alec is getting married any day, and I need to get her to Volterra before that happens. But she hates Alec now! She thinks he is some horrible, stupid pig!

"Eva, this isn't you." I whisper calmly from behind her as she drains a young boy dry. It is hard for me to watch, but I've grown used to it while watching over Alec.

"Get out of here, Elizabeth." She hisses while still clinging to her dying meal.

"Do you not remember Alec? The boy you were willing to give everything up for?" I try to dig deep so maybe I can find a strand of humanity left within her. She whirls around, dropping the boy, her eyes flaming angrily.

"I would have given it all up for him. Yes, yes. I would have I really would have! Oh, but he didn't want it! He didn't want me!" She is raving like a madman. When I said she was insane with blood-lust, I meant she was just drinking like there is no tomorrow. Now I realize she is literally insane because of the blood.

"Snap out of it, Eva! He left you for your own good! Remember what if felt like to have him kiss your shoulders and hum you to sleep? To have him whisper lovely things in your ears, to have him tickle the back of your neck while playing with your hair? Remember how amazing he was?" I am speaking out of personal experience, trying not to cry myself.

"I don't need any of that. I've got it all right here." She grabs the nearly-dead boy and kisses him smack on the lips. She forces one of his hands into her hair, and presses his lips onto her shoulders. "And even better..." She grins and sinks her teeth into him once again, slurping out the last traces of liquid from his veins.

"You are going crazy, Eva! Can't you see it? You are wild! Out of control!" I nearly yell. She looks like she wants to swing at me, but knows that it would have no affect. How can you hurt air?

"I am me, me a vampire, me, a me, me. Vampire. I'm a vampire. Leave me alone." She takes off running, leaving the dead boy abandoned on the forest floor. I could keep up with her easily, but there is no point. She is too far gone for me to have any affect.

With a sigh, I decide I'm going to have to do something I had hoped to avoid. I flicker away from the world, becoming a floating spirit. I go from being in a secluded Montana forest to swaying above the Volturi castle in Italy within ten seconds.

I listen for a very long time. Everyone is home right now. I wait for a few hours and eventually Demetri, Alec, and Heidi leave on some unknown journey. I put all my energy into disguising the supernatural vibe I give off, and then drift down into Jane's room. She is sitting on the edge of her bed, head in hands, looking weary. Since I am in such close proximity, she senses me instantly.

"Who's there?" She jumps up and looks around. I take my disguising energy and channel it into allowing myself to have a form, to be able to walk amongst her. She gasps as I take form, and her mouth opens to scream.

"No, hush Jane!" I hiss. With obvious effort, she closes her mouth.

"Elizabeth?" She squeaks. Seeing Jane in such a meek state is a rarity.

"I've missed you, Jane." I smile affectionately at my former best friend.

"But.. What are y- How- I'm.. " She struggles for words.

"I'm an entity." I say bluntly.

"Why?" She looks so confused.

"I died heart-broken and young. Look, Jane, I've used a lot of energy today and I need to get my point across FAST. You need to find Eva and bring her here." A flicker runs through my body.

"What? Why? Alec is marrying Sophie, he doesn't need his little human anymore. And why does she look like you?"

"But Alec doesn't love Sophie! Eva was turned into a vampire and since she was so full of emotion at the time of her change she has gone on a blood-crazed rampage. She is killing left and right and thinks of Alec as the devil. You need to help me remind her of how much she loves them so they can finally be together."

"Why can't I just kill her and get rid of the whole problem?" She asks, always looking for the easy way out. Hm. I thought Jane was growing fond of Eva.. I guess she just liked how happy she made her brother.

"You want Alec to be happy don't you?" I growl in frustration, struggling to keep my human form. She nods eagerly. "THEN GO GET EVA! She is in Montana right now, and will probably stay there a couple days. I'll be watching over you Jane. Don't disappoint your best friend." I smile at her once more before fading into invisibility. She cries out for me, lunging at where I was. I drift away, off to restore my powers among the clouds.


	24. Chapter 24

Jane POV

I skipped town. Yup, obedient little Jane ran away from her master, bringing Demetri along with me. But its only temporary. Just until I can find Eva and bring her back to Volterra to reunite with Alec and restore her humanity so they can get married and live happily ever after, ect ect, blah blah bleh. The whole fairytale ending has never really been my gig.

If anyone but Elizabeth (or Aro, of course) had asked, there is no way I would be traveling into America now. But Bethie was my best friend way back when, and losing her was really tough. She came back after a century with a favor to ask, and by God, I am going to accomplish whatever she needs done.

I've been gone for several days now, and according to Demetri he can sense Eva towards the north, which means she is probably either in or close to Montana still. I've never really been that great at plans (I leave all that business up to Alec) but I've got a vague outline of what I'm going to do: find her, use my power to exhaust her, and use the private jet we brought her to transport her safely back to Italy.

"She is so close." Demetri whispers, making automatic swerves and turns as his power leads him straight to Evalyn. She can hear us as we near, backing her with experienced percision towards a cliff face. Like wolves hunting in a pack, we soon have her backed in a corner, ready to make the kill. Not literally, of course.

Eva is strong at the moment, but dumb and clueless. Strength is useless when not paired with cleverness.

"What are you doing here?" Eva hisses. "I've made things inconspicuous, the humans hardly notice." She seems very proud of herself. I don't bother with any explanations, just ram my power into her with more force than I've used in quite a while. She screams bloody-murder for a few minutes. Demetri and I have to put our hands over our ears to muffle the horrible screeching sound. After a while, though, she gives up the yelling, cursing, and writhing. She lay in a crumpled mess, tremors of agony buzzing through her every few seconds. I retract the pain but she doesn't move. She is practically paralyzed from the trauma and horror of such abrupt pain at that magnitude for so long.

Demetri picks her up and together we make our way back to the jet. Just as we are taking off, Eva's strength returns to her and she bolts upright in her chair. With a snarl of fury, she whips up in an attack stance, prepared to take on both of us.

"What are you doing? You better let me out of here, I'll bust the whole side of this thing off!" She threatens. I glance up and slam her with more of my torturous power. She screams and crumples to the floor. We keep that up, her popping up with a shallow threat every now and then and me making her feel more pain than she has ever known. Eventually she learns not to jump up anymore.

The human pilots know to just stay put and never come to investigate. Anyone who ever came to figure out what is going on never lived to tell the tale. Any who quit working for us or let a word slip about how odd we are or how they are sure we are doing something illegal ended up dead within the week.

We land on the small runway hidden among the trees behind the castle. Demetri carries a limp Eva through the undergrowth. When we arrive back, Aro is furious.

"Your ran away with no warning to go find _her_! What is going on in your head, Jane? What is wrong with you! I thought you liked Sophie! You know what this will do to your brother!" Aro rages, pacing across the marble floor in front of his throne. Eva looks scared. She should be. By bringing her here, I could have led her straight to her death. And that fear is confirmed as Aro says, "I don't have time to deal with you, or any of this for that matter. Lets forget this ever happened, alright? Just kill her and we'll be done with it." He pinches the bridge of his nose while squeezing his eyes shut.

"Who are we killing?" Alec, his dead, emotionless (he hasn't been the same since we left America, for obvious reasons) eyes, a bright crimson from the hunt he is returning from, asks as he walks in. Then those grave eyes fall on the frightened girl in Demetri's arms.


	25. Chapter 25

Alec POV

I stare at the small vampire in Demetri's arms. Long, waist-length gold ringlets glinting in the light. Smooth, snowy skin. Plump red lips. Slanted scarlet eyes looking up at me with a mixture of hatred, fear, and awe. This isn't just any vampire. This is my vampire. But last time I saw her, she was most definitely not in this immortal state.

"Oh, God! What the hell did you do to her!" I cry, running over to them. She looks so frail, so innocent, so weak. Until I got a foot away. She leaped out of Demetri's arms, landing ten feet away, her fingers curved into claws, legs slightly bent, back hunched over, teeth bared, ready to fight.

"Don't you ever get so close to me again." A horrible, demonic voice growls from those rosy lips that have kissed me so sweetly, so tenderly a million times.

"Eva?" I whisper. It looks like her, but this can't be her. This vicious, predatory thing can't be the girl I fell in love with. She hisses in response to me saying her name.

"Alec, I-" Jane starts, but is interrupted with a tinkling, bubbly little voice saying, "Hi everyone! What are we all doing?" Sophie, with her thin, white-blonde waves and giant crimson eyes, walks in daintily, her petite frame seeming to simply float across the floor. She flits to my side, wrapping her bony arms around my waist and leaning up to kiss my cheek. Since I am still staring at Eva's face, I watch as murder glints through her eyes. Her body tenses into a springing position.

And then I realize what is wrong. This really isn't Eva. This is a wild, crazed newborn. Even worse, a crazed newborn who was changed during a time of unstable emotions. Probably one in three hundred turn out like her. Completely insane. Eva has dropped off the deep end, and I'm not sure I'm capable of bringing her back. She is an animal now, and she sees poor little Sophie as competition. Small competition that would be easy to get rid of.

All these thoughts race through my head in a tenth of a second. Eva leaps at Sophie, and I do something I never would have expected to in a million years. I protect Soph with my body, and punch Eva in the face. She falls to the ground with a cry of pain. Everyone is in frozen shock. Eva looks up at me, and suddenly all the rage and blood-lust is gone. She just looks confused, startled and so utterly hurt. Though it may seem like Eva hates me, something in her is still telling her I'm her mate. And as she tried to get rid of the other female competing with her, I stopped her. To her, that is me choosing Sophie over her.

"Eva, I didn't.. I mean.. I.." I trail off, not knowing what to say. My voice breaks the trance everyone had been thrown into though. Hatred fills Eva's eyes again, Sophie lets out a frightened squeak, Demetri and Felix grab Eva's arms, and Jane rushes to my side.

"Alec, how could you?" Jane asks, turning me to face her.

"What do you mean? She tried to kill me! He didn't even really hurt her!" Sophie cries from behind me, obviously distraught, though I'm sure she could have defended herself against Eva. She hasn't learned all the dangers of being on the guard. And she doesn't know about my history with Eva, or Elizabeth for that matter. Jane pays her no attention, just keeps staring at me with accusation. When did she get so protective of Eva?

"What did you expect me to do, sister? Let her kill Sophie?,She would have, you know. She is a lunatic right now!" I hiss in frustration, exaggerating the predicament a bit. She is pinning me as a bad guy for protecting my fiancee from a dangerous newborn!

"I expected you to grab the girl you love and kiss her and tell her everything would be all right and you would never hurt her again! Not fucking punch her in the face!" Jane's five-foot figure is pressing closer and closer to me, her eyes glinting with anger.

"Kiss the girl you love? What is she talking about, Alec?" Sophie's high-pitched voice suddenly begins irritating me more than it ever has before.

"Shut the hell up, Sophie!" I growl turning my head over my shoulder to scowl at her. She is taken aback for a moment, and then slowly anger and hurt wrap around her, warping her face into something weird and unattractive. Like a grimace and a glare combined.

"Kill that horrid excuse for an immortal!" Aro's voice rings out above everything else, commanding my brothers of sort to kill the girl who holds my heart.

"NO!" I all but roar. Everyone pauses to look at me.

"Alec, its time to let go. She isn't the girl you once knew." Aro says in a caring and understanding voice, but I can see the impatience underneath.

"Yes she is! She is still my Eva! She will always be, no matter what!"

"No, she isn't. And if we were to let her go, do you know what would happen? She would be off like a rocket and you wouldn't see her again until we had to track her down to kill her for the attention her killing sprees begin to cause." Aro's voice has a ring of finality in it, as if he has already sealed Eva's fate though she has yet to do anything wrong. Without a second thought, I run to where Demetri and Felix are restraining Eva. And I kiss her right on her lips. That tiny spark of electricity passes between us as I intertwine my fingers into those silky gold ringlets. Her arms are incapable of wrapping around me because of my brothers, but I swear I can feel her lips responding to mine.

And then the most unexpected chain of events happen.


	26. Chapter 26

I heard Sophie's scream as if it was at the end of a long, long, long tunnel. And suddenly, Eva is no longer in my arms. I open my eyes to see Sophie and Eva fighting each other in the middle of the throne room. Everyone has already huddled around, but no one is doing a damn thing!

"What is wrong with you people?" I cry, throwing myself through the crowd. But then I realize why no one is doing anything. Sophie is a shielder, and her power is a hundred times more powerful than Renata's since it doesn't make you want to go somewhere else, it forces you out, and keeps out both physical and mental powers. She has wrapped an impenetrable invisible wall around her and Eva while also using her power to press Eva so hard against the ground that she has made a large indention in the shape of her body. Sophie is able to get through her own shields though, so she is clawing mercilessly at Eva, who is releasing blood-curdling screams.

"No! NO! NO! Stop it! Stop hurting her!" I roar, pounding my fists against the shield keeping me out. By now there are deep gashes all over Eva. They aren't bleeding, of course; they look like crevices in a large ice glacier. Sophie is also biting her incessantly while growling like some kind of wild animal.

Just when I thought I was going to have to watch the girl I love die right in front of my eyes, a bright light flashes through the room. It sweeps through every corner, and though it certainly did not come from a window, it causes everyone to sparkle. It is so bright it is actually painful for my sensitive eyes, and I fall to the ground, arms shielding my face while my eyes are squeezed closed.

I hear a high-pitched screaming, a female sobbing, and another girl singing a mysterious, bone-chilling tune in a language that not even I have ever heard of. An ancient language lost in time.

The heat of the light disappears from my skin, and I hesitantly open my eyes. Everyone else is on the ground also, and we are all slowly looking around.

"What the fuck?" I hear Demetri whisper. I am the first to stand up, looking for Eva. I don't see her at first, but before I can panic, I realize she is laying in the corner. But not just her. Sophie is there too, her wispy white waves as sprawled out as she is. And so is someone I never expected to see again. Elizabeth. She is wearing the long, sapphire-blue dress that I first saw her in at the town ball a century ago. She is right next to Eva, both of them laying with their eyes closed and not breathing. They look like the most heart-breakingly beautiful twins I have ever seen.

"Eva!" I cry, running to her side. I kneel next to her, gently turning her over onto her back. "Eva Bear, can you hear me?" I whisper, and after a moment, those newly-red eyes flutter open. But there is no hatred, no insanity. Just love.

"You chose me." She whispers, smiling up at me.

"I what?" I ask in confusion, and then watch as her eyes flicker behind me. I turn around to see Elizabeth slowly sitting up. I realize what Eva means. I saw both of them and I could have gone to either and without even thinking I went to Eva. I was more concerned about my Evalyn. But now that I know she is safe, my attention is consumed with the blue-eyed beauty behind me.

"Elizabeth?" I whisper, turning to face her. She smiles at me, that sweet little smile I have missed so, so much.

"Its really me, Alec." She assures. Her voice.. Oh, God, her voice.. How many times I wished I could hear it just once more..

"Oh, Elizabeth." I breathe, grabbing her in my arms. She hugs me back tenderly, and I am surprised to find I can actually feel her warm skin beneath mine. From what I've heard over my time, entities are suppose to feel like no more than pressured air. Does that mean... Could it be she is no longer a ghost?

I pull back, my hands wrapped tightly in her blonde curls. "How is this possible?" I ask her, brushing a finger against her cheek adoringly.

"I think it is a gift." She smiles happily but it is tinged with pain. How can something like this possibly be painful?

"You've restored your mortality? That is amazing, Bethie!" I cry joyfully.

"A temporary gift, I mean. I'm not here to stay. I just get one last moment to set things straight with the boy I fell in love with so I can finally move past this world." She watches my expression fall with sad, sorrowful eyes.

"You mean you have to leave?" I whisper. Losing El was horrid the first time, it is going to be impossible this time.

"I died, Alec. Long, long ago. Lets just enjoy this time together." She plays with the hair on the back of my head.

"I died too! But I'm still here! Let me bite you! I'll bite you and you'll be with me forever!" I lunge for her jugular without waiting for an answer, pierce it with my teeth, but nothing happens. It felt like biting a human, but there was no blood to come out.

"I think there are more powerful forces above that are a tad more clever than you, my little panther." She taps my nose lightly with her index finger. My little panther. She used to call me that when she was feeling particularly fond of me.

"This can't be the end, El. We've been through too much together! I can't lose you again! I've felt you with me for the past century, and without that warm presence, I think I'll die." I wrap my arms around her, resting my forehead against hers while staring into those big bluey orbs.

"Oh, I think you'll have plenty of company." She looks past me for a moment, and I wonder who she is gazing at with such affection yet envy. Right now, I don't remember anything or anyone. Elizabeth is all I have in the world. Everything has dissolved around her goddess-like perfection. "Besides, I'll still be with you. If I can, I'll send you a sign. And, as corny and overused as it is, I will always be with you right here." She places a small hand on the place where my heart is sitting lifeless and unbeating.

"I will never love anyone as I have loved you for so many years, Elizabeth." I promise her.

"Oh, Alec. Don't make me cry. I need to be able to look at you." She sniffles, tears welling up in her eyes. I kiss her with a heady passion for an immeasurable moment, and then pull back. I can practically feel her fading from my arms.

"No, wait! Don't go, just one more minute! Please!" I hold her as tightly as I can, but its no use. She is disappearing rapidly.

"I love you, darling. Don't forget me." She places her lips on mine once more. As I melt into yet another of her dearly missed kisses, I feel her fade out of my arms. I open my eyes and I am kissing the air.

I stare at the space where Elizabeth just was, trying to comprehend. She is gone. I will never see her again. Someone like her is going to a beautiful, magical place after this life. If I ever die, I'll be going to the opposite. That was the end. And there are so many things I didn't have a chance to say.

Tears I'll never be able to shed prick my eyes. A pain so harsh and cold it causes me to tremble washes through me.

"No.. No, no." I begin whispering. I feel more alone than I ever have. I didn't give up Elizabeth this time, I actually lost her. She literally was wrenched from my grasp. Vanished into thin air, never to be seen again. "Oh, God, no." I mumble. I didn't get a decent look at her face! I didn't have time to memorize her glory! I need just one more second, just a moment to really capture every detail of her.

But I will never, ever have that chance again. With something that sounds like a choked sob, I throw my head back and shout with a mixture of anger, agony, and heart-break to the skies above, "Elizabeth!"


	27. Chapter 27

EVA POV

"Alec, calm down. Alec, honey, its okay. Shh. Look at me. Look at me, Alec." I gently pull Alec's head to face mine with my newborn strength. "I'll help you through this." I promise him. His eyes are still glimmering with tears and his face is contorted into utter trauma and heartbreak, but those horrible cries of rage stop. He buries his head in my hair, sobbing into my shoulder.

"W-why did she leave me?" He asks.

"Oh, Alec. You know she didn't want to. It was her time to go." I stoke up and down his spine with my long nails.

"I want her back." He whimpers.

"I know, I know. But lets be thankful you got another moment with her, hm? Be happy you got to see her one last time. Isn't that something you have always wanted? To see the girl who you have loved like no other for so long?" I can't keep out the jealousy tinging my voice though I try to only be sympathetic and gentle. He stiffens in my arms, and then pulls back. All his pain is gone, or at least masked for now. He looks shocked.

"Eva.. Oh, why am I doing this to you?" He whispers, caressing my face with his thumb.

"You can't help it if you are in pain. And I will always be here for you, no matter what." I vow.

"You don't deserve this." He says sadly.

"I told you I wanted to help you carry your burden. The loss of Elizabeth is part of your burden and it always will be no matter how long you live. Let me help you with it." I move my nails up to his face, tracing random patterns against his cheek.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asks, placing his fingers on one of the deeper slashes on my face that Sophie made. I can hear the double meaning in his words.

"I can handle it." I whisper, giving him a small smile.

"You need blood." He begins unfolding his legs and then stands gracefully, pulling me up with him. His trauma and heartbreak has been pushed to the side for now, but no doubt it will resurface later. Perhaps when I'm not around to witness it.

"I don't want any. If I so much as smell a human, I could be thrown back into that awful state. I wasn't even controlling my own body. It was like watching from behind a glass wall as some stranger lived my life and hurt everyone I love." I shudder at the thought. "Speaking of, how did Eli- I mean, why am I not still like that?" I avoid saying the E-name at all costs.

"You can say her name, I'm fine. I think whatever Elizabeth did to stop Sophie also cured you of the blood-madness. And I bet that took all her energy, and she knew it would. Her amazing deed was rewarded with a one-way ticket to the great beyond." Alec thinks aloud. I wince hearing it. Elizabeth left because of me. I hadn't realized it when she was here, but when she left, I found out I know that warm presence Alec was talking to her about. It feels like a bright star just went out, leaving in its wake a cold, dark loneliness. Because of me, none of us will ever see Elizabeth again.

"I'm so sorry, Alec." I whisper, taking a step back because I feel too ashamed to even be standing close to him right now. How could I have done this to him? He stares at me for a minute, clearly confused, and then realization dawns on him.

"Its not your fault. She knew what she was doing when she did it. She wanted to get out of here." He fills the space between us once again.

"I tore away the most important thing in your life." I cast my eyes downward.

"What are you talking about? I have the most important thing in my life in my arms right now." He says, wrapping his arms around me.

"I love you." I smile up at him.

"I love you too." He leans down and gives me a chaste kiss. "And you have done an excellent job at switching the subject, bravo. But seriously, Evs, you need blood. How about bagged to start off with, eh?" He tosses my way that utterly heart-melting grin of his.

"I rather enjoy O negative." I lace my fingers through his and we begin to head out of the room.

"Really? That's my favorite too. Its a sign." He looks down at me and I get lost in his endless scarlet eyes.

"A sign of what?"

"A sign that we are meant to be with each other for all eternity, obviously."

"How does preferring the same type of blood and true love forever have anything to do with each other?" I giggle.

"I was actually just trying to create a moment there." He says loftily.

"I think we've had enough moments to last us a lifetime over the past months." I remind him.

"Yeah, but for most of those I couldn't do this." He pauses, twirls me around to face him, and kisses me. He presses me so hard against him I would have broken if I was human as his soft tongue glides into my mouth, tangoing with my own. My hands tangle into his hair, getting lost in the passion, until some interrupts us with an awkward cough. We break apart reluctantly to see who is intruding on our private, intimate reunion.

"I heard someone needed a little O negative." Jane is smiling deviously as she leans casually against the entrance to the throne room. I hadn't even noticed that everyone had cleared out before. With a flick of her wrist, Jane sends the bag of blood soaring across the room. The scent hits me like a semi-truck and venom pools in my mouth. My hand instinctively snaps up and grabs it, and not even a full second later, my teeth have dug into the plastic and I'm sucking out every last drop.

"What have I told you about eavesdropping, sister?" Alec glares at her as I finish off the bag.

"You were having a heart-to-heart with your long-lost fiancee and psychotic, homicidal ex-girlfriend. How the hell was I suppose to stay away from that?" She asks incredulously. Alec rolls his eyes.

"Whatever. Eva needs more than just one bag, though." Alec makes a start for the door, but Jane reaches behind the wall of the entrance and pulls out a whole ice chest filled with blood bags.

"I got all the O negatives we have." She smiles proudly.

"Well aren't you clever?" Alec says sarcastically. I don't bother listening to their rants, just dive into that ice-chest (not literally, I've obtained a bit of self-control thanks to Elizabeth) and begin satisfying the hunger shredding up the back of my throat.

After I'm done, I am sure I look like a bloody mess. But I could care less. Because Alec looks at me with the same loving adoration as always as he gently wipes the blood away from around my lips.

"You're so cute." He smiles, getting the last bits of blood off.

"Clearly." I say, gesturing to my tattered, stained, rumpled clothes, tangled hair, and weary eyes.

"I know what you need." He smiles, taking off with my hand in his. I follow with him, wondering what he has planned as we walk into what looks like his bedroom. Is this really an appropriate time for sex? But then he disappears into the bathroom and I hear the water start up.

He stays in there for a few minutes, and then the water shuts off and he comes out, grabbing my hand again and leading me towards the bathroom. "A hot bath filled with natural herbs does amazing things." He explains as we walk in and the smell of too many strong spices to count that I had been smelling faintly before now becomes nearly overwhelming. It is just weak enough that it is tantalizing, though. The water is filled nearly to the top with tons of bubbles and the jets are running.

"And will you be accompanying me for this bath?" I ask with a sultry grin.

"I think you need a little alone time to clear your head and think things over. You've been through a lot, as have I. I'll be waiting right out here when you're done." He is about to disappear, but I grab his forearm.

"What am I suppose to wear after I get out?" I ask uncertainly. He looks astonished that he hadn't thought of this sooner. Alec is the type that always has to be one step ahead of everyone else.

"I bet something of Heidi's would fit you now.." He thinks about it and I pull up a muddy image of Heidi. The stunning brunette who had posed as Alec's sister in high-school; a world that seems a million years away now. "You go get in, I'll go check. Corin might be a better fit.." He disappears out of the room with that. I strip off my torn, bloody clothes and toss them in the trash can by the toilet (which is really unnecessary) and then slip into the soothing waters. The jets pound into my back as the probably very rare elements Alec sprinkled in calm my jumbled up nerves. Alec walks in not two seconds later, setting a stack of clothing on the counter and then hurrying out without a single word.

My mind wonders back to the muggy human memories I had to sift through a minute ago. I see a tall guy with fair hair and dark green eyes, my father I think, wasn't his name Chris? And along with him comes a petite, sophisticated lady with long blonde hair and golden-brown eyes, Emily, right? My mother? Oh, and the stout girl with shoulder-length pale-blonde hair and mossy-green eyes, Esmerelda, my younger sister. And then there was Hutch, the jerk who toyed with me like I was his personal, life-size Barbie. And that one girl with the weird nose who latched on like a lost puppy to whoever would benefit her the most, and there was that brunette who was such a ditz, and, oh, how can I not remember the name of that back-stabbing fake-blonde? Was it Wilma? No.. Wendy? No, no. God, why can't I remember this!

I realize I am getting myself worked up again and sit back with a sigh. I gave that life up for Alec, and I don't regret my decision. I miss my family terribly, but high-school is something I could do the rest of eternity without. And, living here in this huge castle as practically royalty, it looks as if I probably never will have to face the horrors of freshmen year ever again.

I allow myself a while longer of this bliss, and then reluctantly drain the water, get out, dry off, and get dressed once again. I think Alec decided to go with Corin's clothes because the sweatpants fit fine, but the shirt is just a little short, showing a tad bit of mid-drift. Still so, so comfy though.

I run a brush through my long damp curls once, and then walk out of the bathroom feeling refreshed and renewed.

Alec is laying on the large black bed dominating his room in only a pair of gray sweats. I ogle just as I did as a human at the perfectly sculpted muscles of his stomach and chest. Then I take my place snuggled into his side with his arm around me. My head is laying on his chest, breathing in his sweet scent, as his hand plays with a strand of my wet hair.

"Alec?" I whisper after a while of no talking.

"Yes angel?" He says back just as quietly.

"What is going to happen next?" I wonder.

"What do you mean?" His hand moves down to the side of my face, absent-mindedly brushing his fingertips up and down my cheek.

"What is going to happen between us? We've always had a plan, or something we needed to be prepared for. Something horrible lurking on the horizon. Well, now that we are both vampires and together again, what is the next thing I should be braced for?"

"Its over, Eva. All the forbidden romance, and terror of losing each other. Its gone. We can finally be together for eternity. So, what you should be prepared for is an introduction to all of my family, a man coming to check you for any powers, a formal inauguration into the Volturi, a huge, extravagant wedding, a year-long honeymoon, and then the rest of forever spent living like royalty in my arms." He whispers into my ear.

I shiver in delight. Being treated like a princess while in Alec's sweet embrace? Isn't that every girl's fantasy? Well, maybe minus the whole being a vampiress part, but still. Being swept off your feet by a dark prince and taken to his castle in a beautiful land to live a life of luxury? I think that makes up for the few down-sides of immortality.

I never thought Alec and I would make it here, totally satisfied as we cuddle in his own castle, equals in ever aspect. But here we are. And I've loved him since day one, through thick and thin. I will always love Alec Volturi, for how ever long we both may live. He is my own personal angel.. With black-satin wings, of course.

And so, with those lovely thoughts drifting through my head and Alec's hand gently caressing my face, I fall into the closest think to sleep as I am capable of in this life. This new life that suits me so well. The life I took on in exchange for Alec. And finally, I am perfectly content and blessed with my vampire-love at my side.

THE END.


	28. Chapter 28

Hey guys! Now that I'm done with this story, I'm moving on to a new Alec/OC story. It would be really cool if some other Alec fans could tell me which of these plots you would like to read first! Tell me in the reviews or PM me!

Shades of Red -

In the immortal world, nearly every vampire has himself a shape-shifter slave. Renesmee and Jake's 15 year old granddaughter, Scarlett, is kidnapped by a nomadic vampire for this purpose. When he goes to Volterra, Aro ends up killing him, and giving his new pet to Alec as a gift. Alec will soon realize there may be more to this mutt than he thought as he falls head-over-heels in love with Scarlett. And he may even be willing to lay it all on the line for her freedom.

The Flight Risk -

Colleen is a beautiful and powerful nomad with a kick-ass attitude looking for adventure, while Alec is a power-obsessed ego-maniac. When their worlds collide, neither of them will ever be the same. Their beginning is filled with hate, but they are slowly falling in love without even realizing it. And once Colleen sees she is becoming tied to one place, to one person, things have to change. But once Colleen is gone, one of her many enemies who has been lurking on the horizon will come out to play. With Alec under the enemy's spell, Jane and Colleen, who have hated each other from the start, must pair up to save the guard from a tragic downfall.

Love & War -

Lexi and Christian are 13 year old twin vampires created by mistake by the unknowing Volturi, and then adopted by the Cullens. They become part of the family, and learn of their useful power. When the Volturi learn of them, and how powerful they are, they take them away on account of them being too young. Held against their will in the Volturi palace, their lives on the line, each of them begins falling in love with a witch twin. And as the Cullens and the Volturi, their family against their loves, prepare to fight to the death, they will both learn not all is fair in love and war.


End file.
